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LETTERS  AND  ADDRESSES 


ON 


FREEMASONRY. 


By  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION 

BY 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS. 


"I  shall  never  disavow  my  old  work  or  shrink  from  the  attribution 
of  it  ta  my  hand,  whether  in  private  or  in  public. 

"  Very  truly  yours.  C.  F.  Adams." 

3  August.  1875. 


DAYTON,  OHIO: 

UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  KOUSE. 

J-  -1  0    i  ■>)  ,) 

THE  NATIONAL  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIfIN 


•3  9 

A  a  i 


CONTElSrTS. 


PAGE. 

To  a  Reviewer  of  Sheppard's  Defense  of  the  Masonic  Institution.  49 

To  Edward  Ingersoll,  Esq.,  Philadelphia 55 

To  the  same - 59 

To  the  same 65 

To  the  same 7^ 

To  William  H.  Seward,  Esq.,  Auburn,  New  York 77 

To  Richard  Rush,  Esq.,  York,  Pennsylvania 79 

To  His  Excellency,  Levi  Lincoln,  Governor  of  Massachusetts...  83 

To  William  L.  Stone,  Esq.,  New  York 89 

To  the  same 9° 

To  the  same 9^ 

To  the  same 99 

To  the  same 109 

To  the  same 119 

To  the  same 129 

To  the  same ^39 

To  His  Excellency,  Levi  Lincoln,  Governor  of  Massachusetts...  141 

To  Alexander  H.  Everett,  Esq.,  Boston I43 

To  Richard  Rush,  Esq.,  York,  Pennsylvania 146 

To  Benjamin  Cowell,  Esq.,  Providence,  Rhode  Island 153 

To  James  Morehead,  Esq.,  Mercer,  Pennsylvania 158 

STo  Edward  Livingston,  Esq 161 

To  the  same ^75 

To  the  same '^9 

To  the  same 203 

To  the  same 210 

To  the  same " 232 


6  CONTENTS. 

To  Messrs.  Timothy  Merrill,  Henry  F.  Janes,  Martin  Flint, 
Charles  Davis,  Edward  D.  Barber,  Samuel  N.  Swett,  and 
Amos  Bliss,  Committee  of  the  Antimasonic  State  Conven- 
tion, held  at  Montpelier,  in  the  State  of  Vermont,  on  the 
26th  of  June,  1833 253 

To  James  Morehead,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  the  Meadville  (Penn.) 
Antimasonic  Convention 261 

To  R.  W.  Middleton,  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania 266 

Address  to  the  People  of  Massachusetts 269 


APPENDIX. 

Entered  Apprentice's  Obligation 327 

Fellowcraft's  Obligation 327 

Master  Mason's  Obligation 328 

Royal  Arch  Oath 329 

Knight  Templar's  Oath 330 

Fifth  Libation 331 

Extract  from  a  Plan  of  a  Penal  Code  for  the  State  of  Louisiana, 
by  Hon.  Edward  Livingston .331 


PREFACE. 


This  publication  of  Mr.  Adams'  Letters  on  Freemasonry 
was  undertaken  because  it  was  believed  that  so  able  and 
valuable  a  work  should  again  be  put  in  print  in  a  style  suit- 
able for  a  place  in  libraries.  Mr.  Adams  intensely  hated  all 
that  he  conceived  to  be  wrong,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  in 
these  letters  he,  with  all  the  fervor  of  his  soul,  labored  to 
show  the  wrongs,  corruptions,  and  blasphemies  of  the  lodge. 
To  the  decadence  of  the  order  these  letters  greatly  contrib- 
uted ;  and  when,  after  many  years,  it  began  to  show  signs  of 
reviving  Mr.  Adams'  letters  as  they  appear  were  published 
in  a  neat  volume  at  Boston,  with  an  eloquent  introduction 
by  Charles  Francis  Adams,  two  pages  of  which  were  omit- 
ted, as  being  deemed  inappropriate  to  this  publication. 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  letter  in  review  of  Mr.  Sheppard's 
defense  of  Freemasonry,  Mr  Adams  endured  abuse  and 
misrepresentation  long  for  his  Antimasonic  views  before  he 
came  out  in  public  to  declare  and  defend  those  views. 

These  letters  are  mainly  a  series  addressed  to  Edward 
Ingersoll,  to  William  L.  Stone,  and  to  Edward  Livingston. 
Others  not  less  able,  nor  scarcely  less  important,  were  writ- 
ten to  men  of  national  distinction,  as  William  H.  Seward, 
Richard  Rush,  and  Levi  Lincoln. 

The   letters  to  the  committee  of  the  Antimasonic  state 


8  PREFACE. 

convention  of  Vermont  and  that  of  the  secretary  of  the 
Antimasonic  state  convention  of  Pennsylvania  partake 
somewhat  of  the  natujre  of  public  addresses,  to  which  is 
to  be  added  his  lengthy  and  masterly  address  to  the  people 
of  Massachusetts. 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  the  letters  to  Colonel  William  L. 
Stone,  of  New  York,  were  in  reply  to  letters  addressed  to 
him  by  Mr.  Stone  in  apology,  though  not  in  justification,  of 
the  Masonic  institution.  In  these  letters  he  shows  most 
clearly  the  absurdity  of  those  apologies  by  one  who,  though 
he  had  abandoned  the  lodge,  still  had  not  formally  seceded 
from  the  order. 

The  letters  addressed  to  Hon.  Edward  Livingston,  of 
Louisiana,  who  had  accepted  the  office  of  general  grand 
high-priest  of  the  order  stands  out  as  a  terrible  arraignment 
of  the  order,  and  as  a  most  effective  defense  of  Antimasons 
from  the  imputations  made  against  them. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  institution  of  Masonry  was  introduced  into  the 
British  colonies  of  North  America  more  than  a  hundred 
years  agoi  It  went  on  slowly  at  first ;  but  from  the  time 
of  the  Revolution  it  spread  more  rapidly,  until  in  the  first 
quarter  of  the  present  century  it  had  succeeded  in  winding 
itself  through  all  the  departments  of  the  body  politic  in  the 
United  States,  and  in  claiming  the  sanction  of  many  of  the 
country's  most  distinguished  men.  Up  to  the  year  1826 
nothing  occurred  to  mar  its  progress,  or  to  interpose  the 
smallest  obstacle  to  its  triumphant  success.  So  great  had 
then  become  the  confidence  of  the  members  in  its  power, 
as  to  prompt  the  loud  tone  of  gratulation  in  which  some 
of  its  orators  then  indulged  at  their  public  festivals ;  and 
among  these  none  spoke  more  boldly  than  Mr.  Brainard, 
in  the  passage  which  will  be  found  quoted  in  the  present 
volume.  He  announced  that  Masonry  was  exercising  its 
influence  in  the  sacred  desk,  in  the  legislative  hall,  and  on 
the  bench  of  justice ;  but  so  little  had  the  public  attention 
been  directed  to  the  truth  he  uttered,  that  the  declaration 
passed  off,  and  was  set  down  by  the  uninitiated  rather  as 
a  flower  of  rhetoric  with  which  young  speakers  will  some- 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

times  magnify  their  topic,  than  as  entitled  to  any  particu- 
larly serious  notice.  Neither  would  these  memorable 
words  have  been  rescued  from  oblivion,  if  it  had  not 
happened  that  the  very  next  year  after  they  were  uttered 
was  destined  to  furnish  a  most  extraordinary  illustration 
of  their  significance. 

In  a  small  town  situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  State 
of  New  York  an  event  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  the  year 
1826,  which  roused  the  suspicions  first  of  the  people,  living 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  afterward  of  a  very 
wide  circle  of  persons  throughout  the  United  States.  A 
citizen  of  Batavia  suddenly  disappeared  from  his  family, 
without  giving  the  slightest  warning.  Rumors  were 
immediately  circulated  that  he  had  run  away ;  but  there 
were  circumstances  attending  the  act  which  favored  the 
idea  that  personal  violence  had  been  resorted  to,  although 
the  precise  authors  of  it  could  not  be  distinctly  traced. 
The  name  of  the  citizen  who  thus  vanished  as  if  the  earth 
had  opened  and  swallowed  him  from  sight,  was  William 
Morgan.  He  had  been  a  man  of  little  consideration  in 
the  place,  in  which  he  had  been  but  a  short  time  resident. 
Without  wealth, — for  he  was  compelled  to  labor  for  the 
support  of  a  young  wife  and  two  infant  children, — and 
without  influence  of  any  kind,  it  seemed  as  if  there  could 
be  nothing  in  the  history  or  the  pursuits  of  the  individual 
to  make  him  a  shining  mark  of  persecution  on  any 
account.  So  unreasonable,  if  not  absurd,  did  the  notion 
of  the  forcible  abduction  of  such  a  man  appear,  that  it  was 
at  first  met  with  a  cold  smile  of  utter  incredulity.  Among 
the  floating  population  of  a  newly-settled  country,  the 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

single  fact  of  the  departure  of  persons  having  few  ties  to 
bind  them  to  any  particular  spot  would  scarcely  cause 
remark  or  lead  to  inquiry.  Numbers,  when  first  called  to 
express  an  opinion  in  the  case  of  Morgan,  at  once  jumped 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  voluntarily  fled  to  parts 
unknown.  So  natural  was  the  inference  that  even  to  this 
day  many  who  have  never  taken  any  trouble  to  look  into 
the  evidence  are  impressed  with  a  vague  notion  that  it  is 
the  proper  solution  of  the  difficulty.  In  ordinary  circum- 
stances the  thing  might  have  passed  off  as  a  nine  days' 
woncier,  and  in  a  month's  time  the  name  of  Morgan  might 
have  been  forgotten  in  Batavia,  had  it  not  been  for  a  single 
clue  which  was  left  behind  him,  and  which,  at  first  followed 
up  from  curiosity,  even  excited  wonder,  and  from  this 
led  to  astonishment  at  the  nature  of  the  discoveries  that 
ensued. 

The  single  clue  which  ultimately  unwound  the  tangled 
skein  of  evidence  was  this:  The  sole  act  of  Morgan,  while 
dwelling  in  Batavia,  which  formed  any  exception  to  the 
ordinary  habits  of  men  in  his  walk  of  life,  was  an  under- 
taking into  which  he  entered,  in  partnership  with  another 
person,  to  print  and  publish  a  book.  This  book  promised 
to  contain  a  true  account  of  certain  ceremonies  and  secret 
obligations  taken  by  those  who  joined  the  society  of  Free- 
masons. The  simple  announcement  of  the  intention  to 
print  this  work  was  known  to  have  been  received  by  many 
of  the  persons  in  the  vicinity,  acknowledged  brethren  of 
the  order,  with  signs  of  the  most  lively  indignation.  And 
as  the  thing  went  on  to  execution,  so  many  efforts  were 
made  to  interrupt  and  to  prevent  it,  even  at  the  hazard 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

of  much  violence,  that  soon  after  the  disappearance  of  the 
prime  mover  of  the  plan  doubts  began  to  spread  in  the 
community,  whether  there  was  not  some  connection,  in 
the  way  of  cause  and  effect,  between  the  proposed  publi- 
cation and  that  event.  Circumstances  rapidly  confirmed 
suspicion  into  belief,  and  belief  into  certainty.  At  first 
'the  attention  was  concentrated  upon  the  individuals  of 
the  fraternity  discovered  to  have  been  concerned  in  the 
taking  off.  It  afterward  spread  itself  so  far  as  to  embrace 
the  action  of  the  lodges  of  the  region  in  which  the  deed 
was  done.  But  such  was  the  amount  of  resistance  expe- 
rienced to  efforts  made  to  ferret  out  the  perpetrators  and 
bring  them  to  justice,  that  ultimately  the  whole  organiza- 
tion of  the  order  became  involved  in  responsibility  for 
the  misdeeds  of  its  members.  The  opposition  made  to 
investigation  only  stimulated  the  passion  to  investigate. 
Unexampled  efforts  were  made  to  enlist  the  whole  power 
of  the  social  system  in  the  pursuit  of  the  kidnappers, 
which  were  as  steadily  baffled  by  the  superior  activity  of 
the  Masonic  power.  In  time  it  became  plain  that  the 
only  effectual  course  would  be  to  go,  if  possible,  to  the 
root  of  the  evil,  and  to  attack  Masonry  in  its  very  citadel 
of  secret  obligations. 

The  labor  expended  in  the  endeavor  to  suppress  the 
publication  of  Morgan's  book  proved  to  have  been  lost. 
It  came  out  just  at  the  moment  when  the  disappearance 
of  its  author  was  most  calculated  to  rouse  the  public 
curiosity  to  its  contents.  On  examination,  it  was  found 
to  contain  what  purported  to  be  the  forms  of  oaths  taken 
by  those  who  were  admitted  to  the  first  three  degrees  of 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

Masonry — the  Entered  Apprentice's,  the  Fellowcraft's, 
and  the  Master  Mason's.  If  they  really  were  what  they 
pretended  to  be,  then  indeed  was  supplied  a  full  explana- 
tion of  the  motives  that  might  have  led  to  Morgan's 
disappearance-  But  here  was  the  first  difficulty.  Doubts 
were  sedulously  spread  of  their  genuineness.  Morgan's 
want  of  social  character  was  used  with  effect  to  bring  the 
whole  volume  into  discredit.  Neither  is  it  perfectly  certain 
that  its  revelations  would  have  been  ultimately  established 
as  true,  had  not  a  considerable  number  of  the  fraternity, 
stimulated  by  the  consciousness  of  the  error  which  they 
had  committed,  voluntarily  assembled  at  Leroy, — a  town 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Batavia, — and  then  and  there, 
besides  attesting  the  veracity  of  Morgan's  book,  renounced 
all  further  connection  with  the  society.  One  or  two  of 
these  persons  subsequently  made  far  more  extended  pub- 
lications, in  which  they  opened  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
Royal  Arch,  and  of  the  Knight  Templar's  libation,  besides 
exposing  in  a  clear  light  the  whole  complicated  organiza- 
tion of  the  institution.  Upon  these  disclosures  the  pop- 
ular excitement  spread  over  a  large  part  of  the  northern 
section  of  the  Union,  It  crept  into  the  political  divisions 
of  the  time.  A  party  sprung  up  almost  with  the  celerity 
of  magic,  the  end  of  whose  exertions  was  to  be  the  over- 
throw of  Masonry.  It  soon  carried  before  it  all  the  power 
of  western  New  York.  It  spread  into  the  neighboring 
states.  It  made  its  appearance  in  legislative  assemblies, 
and  there  demanded  full  and  earnest  investigations,  not 
merely  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  event  which 
originated  the  excitement,  but  also  of  the  nature  of  the 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

obligations  which  Masons  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
assuming.  Great  as  was  the  effort  to  resist  this  movement, 
and  manifold  the  devices  to  escape  the  searching  opera- 
tion proposed,  it  was  found  impossible  directly  to  stem 
the  tide  of  popular  opinion.  Masons  who  stubbornly 
adhered  to  the  order  were  yet  compelled  under  oath  to 
give  their  reluctant  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  disclosures 
that  had  been  made.  The  oaths  of  Masonry,  and  the 
strange  rites  practiced  simultaneously  with  the  assumption 
of  them,  were  then  found  to  be  in  substance  what  they 
had  been  affirmed  to  be.  The  veil  that  hid  the  mystery 
was  rent  in  twain,  and  there  stood  the  idol  before  the  gaze 
of  the  multitude,  in  all  the  nakedness  of  its  natural 
deformity. 

Strange  though  it  may  seem,  it  is  nevertheless  equally 
certain,  that  the  most  revolting  features  of  the  obligations, 
the  pledges  subversive  of  all  moral  distinctions,  and  the 
penalties  for  violating  those  pledges,  were  not  those  things 
which  roused  the  most  general  popular  disapprobation. 
Here,  as  often  before,  the  shield  of  private  character, 
earned  by  a  life  and  conversation  without  reproach,  was 
interposed  with  effect  to  screen  from  censure  men  who 
protested  that  when  they  swore  to  keep  secret  the  crimes 
which  their  brethren  might  have  committed,  provided 
they  were  revealed  to  them  under  the  Masonic  sign,  they 
did  nothing  which  they  deemed  inconsistent  with  their 
duties  as  Christians  and  as  members  of  society.  It  is  the 
tendency  of  mankind  to  mix  with  all  abstract  reasoning, 
however  pure  and  perfect,  a  great  deal  of  the  alloy  of 
human  authority,  to  harden  its  nature.     Multitudes  pre- 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

ferred  to  believe  the  Masonic  oaths  and  penalties  to  be 
ceremonies,  childish,  ridiculous,  and  unmeaning,  rather 
than  to  suppose  them  intrinsically  and  incurably  vicious. 
They  refused  to  credit  the  fact  that  men  whom  they 
respected  as  citizens  could  have  made  themselves  parties 
to  any  promise  whatsoever  to  do  acts  illegal,  unjust,  and 
wicked.  Rather  than  go  so  far,  they  preferred  to  throw 
themselves  into  a  state  of  resolute  unbelief  of  all  that 
could  be  said  against  them.  Hence  the  extraordinary 
resistance  to  all  projects  of  examination,  that  great  wall  of 
brass  which  the  conservative  temper  ot  society  erects 
around  acknowledged  and  time-hallowed  abuses.  Hence 
the  determination  to  credit  the  assurances  of  interested 
witnesses,  who  seemed  to  have  a  character  for  veracity  to 
support,  rather  than  by  pressing  investigation,  to  under- 
mine the  established  edifice  constructed  by  the  world's 
opinion. 

Neither  is  there  at  bottom  any  want  of  good  sense,  m 
this  sluggish  mode  of  viewing  all  movements  of  reform. 
Agitation  always  portends  more  or  less  of  risk  to  society, 
and  tends  to  bring  mere  authority  into  contempt.  It  is 
therefore  not  without  reason  that  those  who  value  the 
security  which  they  enjoy  under  existing  institutions  l.es  - 
tate  at  adopting  any  rule  of  conduct  which  may  materially 
diminish  it.  Such  hesitation  is  visible  under  all  forms  of 
government;  but  it  is  nowhere  more  marked  than  in  the 
United  States,  where  the  popular  nature  of  il.e  institutions 
makes  the  tendency  to  change  at  all  times  imminent.  ;__^The 
misfortune  attending  this  natural  and  pardonable  con- 
servative instinct  is,  that  it  clings  with  indiscriminate 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

tenacity  to  all  that  has  been  long  established — the  evil  as 
well  as  the  good,  the  abuses  that  have  crept  in  equally 
with  the  useful  and  the  true.  It  was  just  so  in  the  case  of 
Masonry.  A  large  number  of  the  most  active  and  re- 
spected members  of  society  had  allowed  themselves  to 
become  involved  in  its  obligations,  and  rather  than 
voluntarily  to  confess  the  error  they  had  committed,  and 
to  sanction  the  overthrow  of  the  institution  by  a  decided 
act  of  surrender,  they  preferred  to  support  it  upon  the 
strength  of  their  present  character,  and  upon  the 
combination  of  themselves  and  the  friends  whom  they 
could  influence  to  resist  the  assaults  of  a  reforming  and 
purifying  power.  Great  as  was  the  strength  of  this  re- 
sistance, it  could  only  partially  succeed  in  accomplishing 
the  object  at  which  it  aimed.  The  opposition  made  to 
the  admission  of  a  palpable  moral  truth  had  its  usual  and 
natural  effect  to  stimulate  the  efforts  of  those  who  were 
pressing  it  upon  the  public  attention.  Admitting  in  the 
fullest  extent  everything  that  could  be  said  in  behalf  ot 
many  of  the  individuals  who  as  Masons  became  subjected 
to  the  vehemence  of  the  denunciatiotis  directed  against  the 
fraternity,  it  was  yet  a  fact  not  a  little  startling  that  even 
they  should  deem  themselves  so  far  bound  by  unlawful 
obligations  as  at  no  time  to  be  ready  to  signify  the 
smallest  disapprobation  of  their  character,  not  even  after 
the  fact  was  proved  how  much  of  evil  they  had  caused. 
After  the  disclosure  of  the  Morgan  history  it  was  no 
longer  possible  to  pretend  that  the  pledges  were  not 
actually  construed  in  the  sense  which  the  language  plainly 
conveyed.     That  after  admitting  the  pt  ssibility  of  such  a 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

construction  the  association  which  for  one  moment  longer 
should  give  it  countenance  made  itself  responsible  for  all 
the  crime  which  might  become  the  fruit  of  it,  can  not  be 
denied.  Yet  this  reasoning  did  not  appear  to  have  the 
weight  to  which  it  was  fairly  entitled,  in  deterring  the 
respectable  members  of  the  society  from  giving  it  their 
aid  and  countenance.  De  Witt  Clinton  still  remained 
Grand  Master  of  the  order  after  he  had  reason  to  know 
the  extent  to  which  it  had  made  itself  accessory  to  the 
Morgan  murder.  Edward  Livingston  was  not  ashamed 
publicly  to  declare  his  acceptance  of  the  same  office, 
although  the  chain  of  evidence  which  traced  that  crime  to 
the  Masonic  oath  had  then  been  made  completely  visible 
to  all.  When  the  authority  of  such  names  as  these  was 
invoked  with  success  to  shelter  the  association  from  the 
effect  of  its  own  system,  it  seemed  to  become  an  impera- 
tive duty  on  the  part  of  those  whose  attention  had  been 
aroused  to  the  subject  to  look  beyond  the  barrier  of 
authority  so  sedulously  erected  in  order  to  keep  them 
out,  to  probe  by  a  searching  analytic  process  the  moral 
elements  upon  which  the  institution  claimed  to  rest,  and 
to  concentrate  the  rays  of  truth  and  right  reason  upon 
those  corrupt  principles  which,  if  not  effectively  counter- 
acted, seemed  to  threaten  the  very  foundations  of  justice 
in  the  social  and  moral  system  of  America. 
^  It  was  the  province  here  marked  out  which  Mr.  Adams 
voluntarily  assumed  to  fill  when  he  addressed  to  Colonel 
William  L.  Stone  that  series  of  letters  upon  the  E^ntered 
Apprentice's  oath,  which  will  be  found  to  make  a  part  of 
the  present  volume.     Although  this  obligation  may  be 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

considered  as  constituting  the  lowest  story  and  least 
commanding  portion  of  the  edifice  of  Freemasonry,  yet  he 
singled  it  out  for  examination  as  the  fairest  test  by  which 
he  could  try  the  merits  of  all  that  has  been  built  above  it. 
If  that  first  and  simple  step  proved  untenable,  it  followed, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  that  no  later  or  more  difficult  one 
could  fare  a  whit  better.  Of  the  result  of  the  investiga- 
tion thus  entered  into,  it  is  thought  that  no  difference  of 
opinion  can  now  be  entertained.  No  answer  worthy  of  a 
moment's  consideration  was  ever  made.  It  is  confidently 
believed  that  none  is  possible.  lAs  a  specimen  of  rigid 
moral  analysis  the  letters  must  ever  remain  —not  simply 
as  evincing  the  peculiar  powers  of  the  author's  mind,  but 
also  as  a  standing  testimony  against  the  radical  vice  of 
the  secret  institution  against  which  they  were  directed.  J 

When  the  books  of  Morgan,  and  Allyn,  and  Bernard, 
the  admissions  of  Colonel  Stone  and  of  the  Rhode  Island 
legislative  investigation,  had  left  little  of  the  mysteries  of 
Freemasonry  unseen  by  the  public  eye,  the  impressions 
derived  from  observation  were  curious  and  contradictory. 
Upon  the  first  hasty  and  superficial  glance  a  feeling  might 
arise  of  surprise  that  the  frivolity  of  its  unmeaning  cere- 
,monial,  and  the  ridiculous  substitution  of  its  fictions  for 
the  sacred  history,  should  not  have  long  ago  discredited 
the  thing  in  the  minds  of  good  and  sensible  men  every- 
where. Yet  upon  a  closer  and  more  attentive  examina- 
tion this  first  feeling  vanishes,  and  makes  way  for  aston- 
ishment at  the  ingenious  contrivance  displayed  in  the 
construction  of  the  whole  machine.  A  more  perfect 
agent   for   the   devising   and   execution   of  conspiracies 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

against  church  or  state  could  scarcely  have  been  con- 
ceived. At  the  outer  door  stands  the  image  of  secrecy, 
stimulating  the  passion  of  curiosity.  And  the  world  which 
habitually  takes  the  unknown  to  be  sublime,  could  scarcely 
avoid  inferring  that  the  untold  mysteries  which  were  sup- 
posed to  have  been  transmitted  undivulged  to  any  external 
ear,  from  generation  to  generation,  must  have  in  them 
some  secret  of  power  richly  worth  the  knowing.  Here 
was  the  temptation  to  enter  the  portal.  But  the  unlucky 
wight,  like  him  of  the  poet's  hell,  when  once  admitted 
within  the  door,  was  doomed  at  the  same  moment  to  leave 
behind  him  all  hope  or  expectation  of  retreat.  His  mouth 
was  immediately  sealed  by  an  obligation  of  secrecy,  im- 
posed with  all  the  solemnity  that  can  be  borrowed  from 
the  use  of  the  forms  of  religious  worship.  Nothing  was 
left  undone  to  magnify  the  effect  of  the  scene  upon  his 
imagination.  High-sounding  titles^  strange  and  startling 
modes  of  procedure,  terrific  pledges  and  imprecations, 
and  last,  though  not  least,  the  graduation  of  orders  in  an 
ascending  scale,  which,  like  mirrors  placed  in  long  vistas, 
had  the  effect  of  expanding  the  apparent  range  of  vision 
almost  to  infinitude,  were  all  combined  to  rescue  from 
ridicule  and  contempt  the  moment  of  discovery  of  the 
insignificant  secret  actually  disclosed.  Having  thus  been 
tempted  by  curiosity  to  advance,  and  being  cut  off  by 
fear  from  retreat,  there  came  last  of  all  the  appearance 
of  a  sufficient  infusion  of  religious  and  moral  and  benevo- 
lent profession  to  furnish  an  ostensible  cause  for  the 
construction  of  a  system  so  ponderous  and  complicate. 
The  language  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  history  as  well  as 


12  INTKODUCTION. 

the  traditions  of  the  Jews,  and  the  resources  of  imagination, 
are  indiscriminately  drawn  upon  to  deck  out  a  progressive 
series  of  initiating  ceremonies  which  would  otherwise 
claim  no  attribute  to  save  them  from  contempt.  Ashamed 
and  afraid  to  go  backward,  the  novice  suffers  his  love  of 
the  marvelous,  his  dread  of  personal  hazard,  and  his  hope 
for  more  of  the  beautiful  and  the  true  than  has  yet  been 
doled  out  to  him,  to  lead  him  oa  until  he  finds  himself 
crawling  under  the  living  arch,  or  committing  the  folly 
of  the  fifth  libation.  He  then  too  late  discovers  himself 
to  have  been  fitting  for  the  condition  either  of  a  dupe  or 
of  a  conspirator.  He  has  plunged  himself  needlessly  into 
an  abyss  of  obligations,  which,  if  they  signify  little,  prove 
him  to  have  been  a  fool,  and  if,  on  the  contrary,  they 
signify  much,  prove  him  ready,  at  a  moment's  warning, 
to  make  himself  a  villain. 

Such  is  the  impression  of  the  Masonic  institution  that 
must  be  gathered  from  all  the  expositions  that  have  been 
lately  made.  Yet,  strange  though  it  may  seem,  there  is 
no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  society  has  had  great  success 
in  enrolling  numbers  of  persons  in  many  countries  among 
its  members,  and  keeping  them  generally  faithful  to  the 
obligations  which  it  imposed.  This,  if  no  other  fact, 
would  be  sufficient  to  relieve  the  whole  machine  from  the 
burden  of  ridicule  it  might  otherwise  be  made  to  bear. 
Perhaps  the  strongest  feature  of  the  association  is  to  be 
found  in  the  pledge  it  imposes  of  mutual  assistance  in 
distress.  On  this  account  much  merit  has  been  claimed 
to  it,  and  many  stories  have  been  circulated  of  the  benefits 
which  individuals  have  experienced  in  war,  or  in  perils 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

by  sea  and  land,  or  in  other  disasters,  by  the  ability  to 
resort  to  the  grand  hailing  sign.  This  argument,  which 
has  probably  made  more  Freemasons  than  any  other, 
would  be  good  in  its  defense  were  it  not  for  two  objec- 
tions. One  of  them  is,  that  the  pledge  to  assist  is  indis- 
criminate, making  little  or  no  difference  between  the  good 
or  bad  nature  of  the  actions  to  promote  which  a  co-opera- 
tion may  be  invoked.  The  other  is,  that  the  engagement 
implies  a  duty  of  preference  of  one  member  of  society  to 
the  disadvantage  of  another  who  may  be  in  all  respects' 
his  superior.  It  establishes  a  standard  of  merit  conflicting 
with  that  established  by  the  Christian  or  the  social  system, 
either  or  both  of  which  ought  to  be  of  paramount 
obligation.  And  this  injurious  preference  is  the  more 
dangerous  because  it  may  be  carried  on  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  sufferers.  The  more  scrupulously 
conscientious  a  citizen  may  be,  who  hesitates  at  taking 
an  oath  the  nature  of  which  he  does  not  know  beforehand, 
the  more  likely  will  he  be  to  be  kept  down  by  the  artificial 
advancement  of  others  who  may  derive  their  advantage 
from  a  cunning  use  of  their  more  flexible  sense  of  right. 
That  these  are  not  altogether  imaginary  objections,  there 
is  no  small  amount  of  actual  evidence  to  prove.  There 
has  been  a  time  when  resort  to  Masonry  was  regarded  as 
eminently  favorable  to  early  success  in  life;  and  there 
have  been  men  whose  rapidity  of  personal  and  political 
advancement  it  would  be  difficult  to  explain  by  any  other 
cause  than  this,  that  they  have  been  generally  understood 
to  be  bright  Masons.  Such  a  preference  as  is  here  sup- 
posed can  be  justifiable  only  upon  the  supposition  that 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

Masonic  merit  and  social  merit  rest  on  the  same  general 
foundation — •&  supposition  which  no  person  will  be  able 
to  entertain  for  a  moment  after  he  shall  have  observed 
the  scales  which  belong  respectively  to  each. 

Another  argument  which  has  been  effectively  resorted  to 
as  an  aid  to  Freemasonry  is  drawn  from  its  supposed 
antiquity.  To  give  color  to  this  notion,  a  very  ingenious 
use  has  been  made  of  much  of  the  sacred  history ;  but  it 
appears  to  have  no  solid  foundation  whatsoever.  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  nature  of  the  associations  of 
Masons  who  built  the  gothic  edifices  of  the  middle  ages, 
the  investigations  entered  into  by  those  who  opposed 
speculative  Freemasonry  sufficiently  proved  that  the  latter 
scarcely  dates  beyond  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 
The  air  of  traditionary  mystery,  like  the  cerugo  on  many  a 
pretended  coin,  has  been  artificially  added  to  heighten 
its  value  to  the  curious.  Yet  such  has  been  its  effect,  that 
this  cause  alone  has  probably  contributed  very  largely  to 
fill  up  the  ranks  of  the  society.  The  rapidity  of  its  growth 
during  the  period  of  its  legitimate  existence  is  one  of  the 
most  surprising  circumstances  attending  its  history.  Origi- 
nating in  Great  Britain  somewhere  about  the  beginning 
of  the  eighteenth  century  (171 7)  it  soon  ramified  not  only 
in  that  country,  but  into  France  and  Germany ;  it  spread 
itself  into  the  colonies  of  North  America,  and  made  its 
way  to  the  confines  of  distant  Asia.  Although  the  seeds 
of  the  institution  were  early  planted  in  Boston  and 
Charleston,  they  did  not  fructify  largely  until  after  the 
period  of  the  Revolution,  j  The  original  form  of  Masonry 
was  comprised  in  what  are  now  called   the  first   three 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

degrees^ — the  Entered  Apprentice,  Fellowcraft,  and 
Master, — but  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, so  thoroughly  had  the  basis  been  laid  over  the  entire 
surface  of  the  United  States,  that  the  degrees  have  been 
multiplied  more  than  tenfold,  and  in  all  directions  the 
materials  have  been  collected  for  a  secret  combination  of 
the  most  formidable  character.  It  was  not  until  the  history 
of  Morgan  laid  open  the  consequences  of  the  abuse  of  the 
system,  that  the  public  began  to  form  a  conception  of  the 
dangerous  fanaticism  which  it  was  cherishing  in  its  bosom. 
Even  then,  the  endeavor  to  apply  effective  remedies  to 
the  evil  was  met  with  the  most  energetic  and  concerted 
resistance,  and  the  result  of  the  struggle  was  by  no  means 
a  decided  victory  to  the  opponents  of  the  institution.* 
Freemasonry  still  lives  and  moves  and  has  a  being,  even 
in  New  York  and  Massachusetts.  And  at  the  seat  of  the 
federal  government,  Freemasonry  at  this  moment  claims 
and  obtains  the  privilege  of  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the 
national  institution  created  upon  the  endowment  of  James 
Smithson,  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  and  diffusing 
knowledge  among  men. 

An  obvious  danger  attending  all  associations  of  men 
connected  by  secret  obligations,  springs  from  their  sus- 
ceptibility to  abuse  •  in  being  converted  into  engines  for 
the  overthrow  or  the  control  of  established  governments. 
So  soon  was  the  apprehension  of  this  excited  in  Europe 
by  Freemasonry,  that  many  of  the  absolute  monarchies 
took  early  measures  to  guard  against  its  spread  within 
their  limits.     Rome,  Naples,  Portugal,  Spain,  and  Russia 

"'This  was  written  over  twenty-five  years  ago. 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

made  participation  in  it  a  capital  offense.  Other  govern- 
ments more  cautiously  confined  themselves  to  efforts  to 
control  it  by  a  rigid  system  of  supervision.  In  Great 
Britain  the  endeavor  of  government  has  been  to  neutralize 
its  power  to  harm,  by  entering  into  it  and  by  placing 
trustworthy  members  of  the  royal  family  at  its  head.  Yet 
even  with  all  these  precautions  and  prohibitions,  it  is 
believed  that  in  France  at  the  period  of  the  Revolution, 
and  in  Italy  within  the  present  century,  much  of  the 
insurrectionary  spirit  of  the  time  was  fostered,  if  not  in 
Masonic  lodges,  at  least  in  associations  bearing  a  close 
affinity  to  them  in  all  essential  particulars.  With  regard 
to  the  United  States,  there  has  thus  far  in  their  history 
been  very  little  to  justify  any  of  the  most  serious  objections 
which  may  be  made  against  Masonry  in  connection  with 
political  affairs.  Yet  the  events  which  followed  the  death 
of  Morgan  first  opened  the  public  mind  to  the  idea  that 
already  a  secret  influence  pervaded  all  parts  of  the  body 
politic,  with  which  it  was  not  very  safe  for  an  individual 
to  come  into' conflict.  The  boast  of  Brainard,  already 
alluded  to,  was  now  brought  to  mind.  It  was  found  to 
bias,  if  not  to  control,  the  action  of  officers  of  justice  of 
every  grade,  to  affect  the  policy  of  legislative  bodies,  and 
even  to  paralyze  the  energy  of  the  executive  head.  This 
power,  by  gaining  a  greater  appearance  of  magnitude 
from  the  mystery  with  which  it  was  surrounded,  was 
doubtless  much  exaggerated  by  the  popular  fancy  during 
the  period  of  the  Morgan  excitement ;  but  after  making 
all  proper  allowances,  it  is  impossible  from  a  fair  survey 
of  the  evidence  to  doubt  that  it  was  something  real,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

that  it  might,  in  course  of  time,  have  established  an 
undisputed  control  over  the  affairs  of  the  Union,  had  not 
its  progress  been  somewhat  roughly  broken  by  the  conse- 
quences of  the  violent  movement  against  Morgan,  which 
had  its  origin  in  the  precipitate  but  fanatical  energy  of 
one  division  of  the  society.  And  even  since  the  agitation 
of  that  day,  there  is  the  best  reason  for  believing  that 
throughout  the  region  most  affected  by  it  an  organization 
was  made  up  after  the  fashion  of  Masonic  lodges,  the 
object  of  which  was  directly  to  stimulate  a  concerted 
insurrection  against  the  governing  power  of  a  neighboring 
country,  Canada,  calculated  to  give  rise  to  a  furious 
contest  with  a  foreign  nation,  and  to  mature  plans  by 
which  such  an  attempt  could  be  most  effectually  aided  by 
citizens  of  the  United  States  in  spite  of  all  the  national 
declarations  of  neutrality  and  in  defiance  of  all  the  fulmi- 
nations  of  government  at  home. 

But  at  the  time  of  Morgan's  mysterious  disappearance, 
the  investigations  then  pursued,  imperfect  as  they  were, 
and  more  than  once  completely  baffled  for  the  moment, 
brought  forth  the  names  of  sixty-nine  different  individuals, 
many  of  them  of  great  respectability  of  private  character, 
who  had  been  directly  concerned  in  the  outrages  attending 
his  taking  off.  These  sixty-nine  persons  were  not  living 
within  a  confined  circle.  They  had  their  homes  scattered 
along  an  extent  of  country  of  at  least  one  hundred  miles. 
That  so  many  men,  at  so  many  separate  points,  should 
have  acted  in  perfect  concert  in  such  a  business  as  they 
were  engaged  in,  would  scarcely  be  believed  without  com- 
pelling the  inference  of  some  distinct  understanding  exist- 
2 


18  INTRODUCTION, 

ing  between  them.  That  they  should  have  carried  into 
effect  the  most  difficult  part  of  their  undertaking,  a  scheme 
of  the  most  daring  and  criminal  nature,  in  the  midst  of  a 
large,  intelligent,  and  active  population,  without  thereby 
incurring  the  risk  of  a  full  conviction  of  their  guilt  and  the 
consequent  punishment,  would  be  equally  incredible  but 
for  the  light  furnished  by  the  phraseology  of  the  Masonic 
oath.  The  several  forms  of  this  oath,  as  shown  to  have 
been  habitually  administered  in  the  first  three  degrees,  will 
be  found  in  the  appendix  to  the  present  volume.  These, 
together  with  the  ceremony  attending  the  Royal  Arch 
and  the  Knight  Templar's  obligation,  have  been  deemed 
all  of  Masonry  that  is  necessary  to  illustrate  the  letters  of 
Mr,  Adams.  They  are  believed  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  successful  manner  in  which  Morgan  was  spirited  away. 
It  is  not  deemed  expedient  to  dwell  here  upon  their 
nature,  when  it  will  be  found  fully  analyzed  in  the  body 
of  the  present  volume.  It  is  enough  to  point  out  the  fact 
that  obedience  to  the  order  is  the  paramount  law  of  asso- 
ciation }  that  it  makes  every  social,  civil,  and  moral  duty 
a  matter  of  secondary  consideration ;  that  it  draws  few 
distinctions  between  the  character  of  the  acts  that  may  be 
required  to  be  done,  and  that  it  demands  fidelity  to  guilt 
just  the  same  as  if  it  were  the  purest  innocence.  Every 
man  who  takes  a  Masonic  oath  forbids  himself  from 
divulging  any  criminal  act,  unless  it  might  be  murder  or 
treason,  that  may  be  communicated  to  him  under  the 
seal  of  the  fraternal  bond,  even  though  such  concealment 
were  to  prove  a  burden  upon  his  conscience  and  a  violation 
cf  his  bounden  duty  to  society  and  to  his  God.     The 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

best  man  in  the  world,  put  in  this  situation,  may  be  com- 
pelled to  take  his  election  between  perjury  on  one  side 
and  sympathy  with  crime  on  the  other.  The  worst  man 
in  the  world,  put  in  this  situation,  has  it  in  his  power  to 
claim  that  the  best  shall  degrade  his  moral  sense  down  to 
the  level  of  his  own,  by  hearing  from  him,  without 
resentment,  revelations  to  which  even  listening  may  be  a 
participation  of  dishonor. 

The  facts  attending  the  abduction  of  Morgan,  not 
elicited  without  the  most  extraordinary  difficulty  by  sub- 
sequent investigation,  have  been  so  often  published  far 
and  wide  as  to  make  it  superfluous  here  to  repeat  them. 
It  may  be  enough  to  state  that  from  the  day  when  the 
partnership  between  Morgan  and  David  C.  Miller,  a 
printer  of  Batavia,  made  for  the  purpose  of  publishing 
the  "Illustrations  of  Masonry,"  was  announced,  no  form 
of  annoyance  which  could  be  expected  to  deter  them 
from  prosecuting  their  design  was  left  unattempted.  The 
precise  nature  of  these  forms  may  be  better  understood 
if  we  class  them  under  general  heads,  until  they  took  the 
ultimate  shape  of  aggravated  crime. 

1.  Anoymous  denunciation  of  the  man  Morgan,  as 
an  impostor,  in  newspapers  published  at  Canandaigua, 
Batavia,  and  Black  Rock,  places  at  some  distance  from 
each  other,  but  all  within  the  limits  of  the  region  in 
which  the  subsequent  acts  of  violence  were  committed. 

2.  Abuse  of  the  forms  of  law,  by  the  hunting  up  of 
small  debts  or  civil  offenses  with  which  to  carry  on  vexa- 
tious suits  or  prosecutions  against  the  two  persons  hereto- 
fore named. 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

3.  The  introduction  of  a  spy  into  their  counsels,  and 
of  a  traitor  to  their  confidence,  employed  for  the  purpose 
of  betraying  the  manuscripts  of  the  proposed  work  to 
the  Masonic  lodges,  and  thus  of  frustrating  the  entire 
scheme. 

4.  Attempts  to  surprise  the  printing-office  by  a  con- 
certed night  attack  of  men  gathered  from  various  points, 
assembling  at  a  specific  rendezvous,  the  abode  of  a  high 
member  of  the  order,  and  proceeding  in  order  to  the 
execution  the  object,  which  was  the  forcible  seizure  of 
the  manuscripts  and  the  destruction  of  the  press  used  to 
print  them. 

5.  Efforts  to  get  possession  of  the  persons  of  the  two 
offenders,  by  a  resort  to  the  processes  of  law,  through  the 
connivance  and  co-operation  of  offtcers  of  justice,  them- 
selves Masons.  These  efforts  failed  in  the  case  of  Miller, 
but  they  succeeded  against  Morgan,  and  were  the  means 
by  which  all  the  subsequent  movements  were  carried  into 
execution. 

6.  The  employment  of  an  agent  secretly  to  prepare 
materials  for  the  combustion  of  the  building  which  con- 
tained the  printing  materials  known  to  be  employed  in 
the  publication  of  the  book  and  to  set  them  on  fire. 

Such  were  the  proceedings  which  were  resorted  to  at 
the  very  onset  of  this  conspiracy;  and  upon  looking  at 
them  it  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  the  prosecution  of 
them  involved  the  commission  of  a  variety  of  moral  and 
social  offenses,  the  commission  of  which  7nay  be  fairly 
included  within  the  literal  injunction  of  the  Masonic  oath. 
Had  the  matter   stopped  here  it  would   have  furnished 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

abundance  of  evidence  to  establish  the  dangerous  character 
of  a  secret  institution,  when  its  interests  are  deemed  to 
conflict  with  those  of  individual  citizens  or  of  society  at 
large.  But  what  has  thus  far  been  compressed  in  the  six 
preceding  heads  appears  as  nothing  when  compared  with 
the  startling  developments  of  the  remainder  of  the  story. 
On  Sunday, — of  all  the  days  in  the  week, — the  tenth  of 
September,  1826,  the  coroner  of  the  county  of  Ontario, 
himself  master  of  the  lodge  at  Canandaigua,  applied  to  a 
Masonic  justice  of  the  peace  of  that  town  for  a  warrant 
to  apprehend  William  Morgan,  living  fifty  miles  off  at 
Batavia.  The  offense  upon  which  the  application  was 
based  was  larceny,  and  the  alleged'  larceny  consisted  in 
the  neglect  of  Morgan  to  return  a  shirt  and  cravat  that 
had  been  borrowed  by  him  in  the  previous  month  of 
May.  Armed  with  this  implement  of  justice — which  as- 
sumes in  this  connection  the  semblance  of  a  dagger 
rather  than  of  its  ordinary  attribute  a  sword — the  coroner 
immediately  proceeded  in  a  carriage,  obtained  at  the 
public  cost,  to  pick  up  at  different  stations  along  the 
road  of  fifty  miles  ten  Masonic  brethren,  including  a 
constable,  anxious  and  willing  to  share  in  avenging  the 
insulted  majesty  of  the  law.  At  the  tavern  of  James 
Ganson,  six  miles  from  Batavia,  the  same  place  which 
had  been  the  head-quarters  of  the  night  expedition 
against  Miller's  printing-office,  the  party  stopped  for  the 
night.  Had  that  expedition  proved  successful,  it  is  very 
probable  that  this  one  would  have  been  abandoned.  As 
it  was,  the  failure  acted  as  a  stimulus  to  its  further  prose- 
cution.    Early  next  morning  five  of  the  Masonic  beagles, 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

headed  by  the  Masonic  constable,  having  previously 
procured  a  necessary  indorsement  of  their  writ,  to  give  it 
effect  in  the  county  of  Genesee,  from  a  Masonic  justice 
of  the  peace,  proceeded  from  Ganson's  house  to  Batavia, 
where  they  succeeded  in  seizing  and  securing  the  man 
guilty  of  the  allged  enormity  touching  the  borrowed  shirt 
and  cravat.  A  coach  was  again  employed,  the  Masonic 
party  lost  no  time  in  securing  their  prey,  and  at  about 
sunset  of  the  same  day  with  the  arrest,  that  is,  Monday, 
the  eleventh  day  of  September,  they  got  back  to  Canan- 
daigua.  The  prisoner  was  immediately  taken  before  the 
justice  who  had  issued  the  warrant,  the  futility  of  the 
complaint  was  established,  and  Morgan  was  forthwith 
discharged.  The  case  affords  a  striking  illustration  of  the 
abuse  of  the  remedial  process  of  the  law  to  the  more 
secure  commission  of  an  offense  against  law.  Morgan  was 
free,  it  is  true,  but  he  was  at  a  distance  of  fifty  miles  from 
home,  alone,  and  without  friends,  brought  through  the 
country  with  the  stigma  resulting  from  the  suspicion  of  a 
criminal  offense  attached  to  him,  and  all  without  expense 
to  the  parties  engaged  in  the  undertaking,  as  well  as 
without  the  smallest  hazard  of  a  rescue. 

•It  turned  out  that  the  person  of  whom  the  shirt  and 
cravat  had  been  originally  borrowed  had  never  sought  to 
instigate  a  prosecution  for  the  offense.  The  idea  origina- 
ted in  the  mind  of  the  Masonic  coroner  himself.  He  had 
executed  the  plan  of  using  the  law  to  punish  an  offense  of 
Masonry,  to  the  extent  to  which  it  had  now  been  carried. 
Morgan  had  been  brought  within  the  coil  of  the  serpent, 
but  he  was  not  yet  entirely  at  its  mercy.    Another  abuse 


INTRODUCTION.  23 

of  legal  forms  yet  remained  to  complete  the  operation. 
No  sooner  was  the  victim  landed  upon  the  pavement, 
exonerated  from  the  charge  of  being  a  thief,  than  he  found 
the  same  Masonic  grand  master  and  coroner  tapping 
him  on  the  shoulder,  armed  with  a  writ  for  a  debt  of  two 
dollars  to  a  tavern-keeper  of  Canandaigua.  Resistance 
was  useless.  Morgan  had  neither  money  nor  credit,  and 
for  the  want  of  them  he  was  taken  to  the  county  jaiL 
The  common  property  and  the  remedial  process  of  the 
state  was  thus  once  more  employed  to  subserve  the  vin- 
dictive purposes  of  a  secret  society. 

Twenty-four  hours  were  suffered  to  pass,  while  the 
necessary  arrangements  were  maturing  to  complete  the 
terrible  drama.  On  the  evening  of  the  succeeding  day, 
being  the  twelfth  of  September,  the  same  grand  master 
coroner  once  more  made  his  appearancp  at  the  prison. 
After  some  little  negotiation  Morgan  is  once  more  re- 
leased, by  the  payment  of  the  debt  for  which  he  had  been 
taken.  But  he  is  not  free.  No  sooner  is  he  treading  the 
soil  of  freedom,  and  perchance  dreaming  of  escaping 
from  all  these  annoyances,  than  upon  a  given  signal  a 
yellow  carriage  and  grey  horses  are  seen  by  the  bright 
moonlight  rolling  with  extraordinary  rapidity  toward  the 
jail.  A  few  minutes  pass;  Morgan  has  been  seized  and 
gagged  and  bound  and  thrown  into  the  carriage,  which  is 
now  seen  well  filled  with  men,  rolling  as  rapidly  as  before, 
but  in  a  contrary  direction.  Morgan  is  now  completely 
in  the  power  of  his  enemies.  The  veil  of  law  is  now 
removed.  All  that  remains  to  be  done  is  to  use  the  arm 
of  flesh.  Morgan  is  now  taking  his  last  look  of  the  to.vn 
of  Canandaigua. 


24  INTRODUCTION. 

It  is  a  fact  that  this  carriage  moved  along,  night  and 
day,  over  a  hundred  miles  of  well-settled  country,  with 
fresh  horses  to  draw  it  supplied  at  six  different  places,  and 
with  corresponding  changes  of  men  to  carry  on  the  enter- 
prise, and  not  the  smallest  let  or  impediment  was  experi- 
enced. With  but  a  single  exception,  every  individual 
concerned  in  it  was  a  Freemason,  bound  by  the  secret  tie; 
and  the  exception  was  immediately  initiated  by  a  unani- 
mous vote  of  the  lodge  at  Lewiston.  It  afterward 
appeared  in  evidence  that  the  lodge  at  Buffalo  had  been 
called  to  deliberate  upon  it,  and  moreover  that  the  lodges 
at  Le  Roy,  Bethany,  Covington,  and  Lockport,  as  well  as 
the  chapter  at  Rochester,  had  all  of  them  consulted  upon 
it.  There  is  no  other  way  to  account  for  the  preparation 
made  along  the  line  of  the  road  traveled  by  the  party. 
Nowhere  was  there  delay,  or  hesitation,  or  explanation,  or 
discussion.  Evei'ything  went  on  like  clock-work,  up  to 
the  hour  of  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth  of  September, 
when  the  prisoner  was  taken  from  the  carriage  at  Fort 
Niagara,  an  unoccupied  military  post  near  the  mouth  of 
the  river  of  that  name,  and  lodged  in  the  place  originally 
designed  for  a  powder  magazine,  when  the  position  had 
been  occupied  by  the  troops  of  the  United  States.  The 
jurisdiction  was  now  changed  from  that  of  the  state  to 
that  of  the  federal  government,  but  the  power  that  held 
the  man  was  one  and  the  same.  It  was  Masonry  that 
opened  the  gates  of  the  fort,  by  controlling  the  will  of  the 
brother  who  for  the  time  had  it  intrusted  to  his  charge. 

On  this  same  evening  there  was  appointed  to  take  place 
at  the  neighboring  town  of  Lewiston  an  installation  of  a 


INTRODUCTION.  '  25 

chapter  misnamed  benevolent,  at  which  the  arch- conspir- 
ator was  to  be  made  grand  high-priest,  and  an  oppor- 
tunity was  given  to  all  associates  from  distant  points  to 
come  together,  and  to  consult  upon  what  it  was  best  to 
do  next.  Here  it  is,  that  in  spite  of  the  untiring  labors  of 
an  investigating  committee  organized  for  the  purpose,  and 
in  spite  of  the  entire  application  of  the  force  of  the  courts 
of  the  country  to  the  eliciting  of  the  truth,  and  details  of 
the  affair  which  thus  far  have  been  clearly  exposed,  begin 
to  grow  dim  and  shadowy.  There  is  reason  to  believe 
that  Morgan  was  carried  across  the  river  in  a  boat  at  night, 
and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  a  Canadian  lodge  at  Newark. 
The  scruples  of  one  or  two  brethren,  who  hesitated  at  the 
idea  of  murder,  brought  on  a  refusal  to  assume  the  trust. 
Consultations  on  this  side  of  the  river  followed,  and  mes- 
sengers were  dispatched  to  Rochester  for  advice.  The 
final  determination  was  that  Morgan  must  die,  to  pay  the 
penalty  of  his  violated  oath.  After  this,  everything  at- 
tending the  catastrophe  becomes  more  and  more  uncertain. 
It  is  affirmed  that  eight  Masons  met  and  threw  into  a  hat 
as  many  lots,  three  of  which  only  were  marked.  Each 
man  then  drew  a  lot,  and  where  it  was  not  a  marked  lot, 
he  went  immediately  home.*  There  is  reason  to  believe 
that  the  three  who  remained  were  the  persons  who  on 
the  night  of  the  19th  or  20th  of  September  took  their 
victim  from  the  fort,  where  he  had  been  kept  for  sacrifice, 
carried  him  in  a  boat  to  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and, 

*Thi8  is  now  fully  confirmed  by  the  testimony  on  his  death-bed  of  H, 
Vallance,  of  Racine,  Wisconsin,  one  of  the  three  actual  murderers  of 
Morgan, 


26  INTRODUCTION. 

having  fastened  upon  him  a  heavy  weight,  precipitated 
him  into  eternity. 

Such  is  a  condensed  statement  of  this  eventful  history 
— a.  history  which  in  many  of  its  details  will  vie  in  inter- 
est with  any  narrative  of  romance.  That  such  a  tragedy 
couM  be  executed  in  the  United  States,  a  country  fortified, 
as  the  people  fondly  imagine,  by  all  known  securities  to 
life  and  liberty ;  that  it  could  be  carried  on  through  a 
period  of  ten  days,  in  a  populous  Christian  community, 
without  thought  of  rescue;  that  it  could  enlist  as  actors 
so  large  a  number  of  citizens  of  good  repute,  in  so  many 
difierent  quarters,  as  were  members  of  the  various  lodges 
privy  to  the  transaction ;  and  finally,  that  it  could  secure 
the  co-operation  of  the  chosen  ministers  of  justice,  and 
even  of  some  set  apart  to  the  service  of  the  Deity,  one  of 
whom  could  be  found  bold  enough  to  invoke  the  blessing 
of  God  upon  the  contemplated  violation  of  his  most  solemn 
law;  that  it  could  involve  all  these  possibilities,  was  a 
thing  well  calculated  to  rouse  the  human  mind  to  a  high 
pitch  of  wonder,  until  the  problem  found  its  natural  solu- 
tion in  the  disclosure  of  the  Masonic  oath.  Construed  as 
this  obligation  was  construed  by  the  members  of  the  order 
in  western  New  York,  all  cause  of  surprise  at  the  conse- 
quences instantly  disappears. 

Yet,  strange  as  is  this  narrative,  fearful  as  is  the  dis- 
closure of  the  fanaticism  of  secret  association  which  could 
impel  men  holding  a  respectable  rank  in  society,  walk- 
ing by  the  light  of  modern  civilization,  acknowledging  the 
influence  of  Christianity  over  their  daily  life,  to  the 
commission  of  outrages  so  flagrant  as  were  the  abduction 


INTRODUCTION.  27 

and  murder  of  William  Morgan,  it  would  not  of  itself  have 
sufificed  to  justify  attaching  even  a  suspicion  to  the  entire 
institution  of  Freemasonry  in  the  United  States,  or  even 
to  any  considerable  branch  of  it  existing  without  the  limits 
of  the  region  where  the  events  happened.  Whatever  might 
have  been  the  private  sentiments  entertained  of  the  danger 
attending  the  assumption  of  secret  obligations,  the  exact 
nature  of  these  was  at  the  outset  too  little  understood  to 
sanction  the  inference  that  they  allowed  criminal  enter- 
prises. Extensive  as  the  conspiracy  against  Morgan  and 
Miller  appeared  to  be,  yet  similar  things  have  been  done 
under  the  influence  of  passion,  and  in  open  and  acknowl- 
edged violation  of  moral  and  religious  duty,  in  all  stages 
of  the  world's  progress.  It  was  hence  no  unreasonable 
thing  to  conclude  that  it  might  have  happened  once  more. 
Censure  was  to  be  directed,  if  anywhere,  against  those 
overzealous  members  of  the  order  who  could  be  believed 
to  have  overstepped  the  bounds  of  reason  and  of  justice, 
acknowledged  as  well  by  the  law  of  the  fraternity  as  by 
the  higher  one  of  God  and  of  civil  society.  It  was  reserved 
for  events  coming  somewhat  later  to  develop  the  fact 
that  in  the  instance  of  Morgan,  Freemasons,  so  far  from 
thinking  themselves  to  be  violating,  were  literally  follow- 
ing the  injunction  which  they  felt  to  be  laid  upon  them 
in  their  oaths.  ^ThQ  law  of  Masonry  was  to  them  more 
than  that  of  civil  government  or  of  the  Deity,  even  when 
it  was  known  directly  to  conflict  with  them.  It  was  the 
truth  of  this  proposition,  slowly  and  gradually  wrested  ^ 
from  the  lips  of  adhering  members,  that  turned  the  current 
of  popular  indignation  from  the  guilty  individuals  toward 


28  INTRODUCTION. 

the  institution  itself.  It  was  the  proof  furnished  of  this 
truth  which  created,  the  moral  power  of  the  political  party 
that  soon  sprung  up  in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and 
that  under  the  banner  of  opposition  to  all  secret  societies 
rallied  its  tens  of  thousands  in  a  fierce  and  vindictive,  and 
at  times  even  a  fanatical  persecution  of  everything  that 
bore  even  the  semblance  of  dreaded  Freemasonry ."^ 

It  would  be  tedious  to  recapitulate  all  the  particulars  of 
the  evidence  which  ultimately  fastened  upon  the  public 
mind  a  conviction  of  the  reality  of  the  proposition  above 
named.  It  may  be  sufficient  to  state  the  manner  in  which 
the  powerful  efforts  made  to  discover  the  guilty  pa/ties  and 
to  bring  them  to  justice  were  perpetually  baffled.  The 
first  and  most  natural  impulse  operating  upon  those  who 
united  in  an  endeavor  to  maintain  the  law  was  to  look  to 
the  chief  executive  magistrate  of  New  York  for  energetic 
support.  The  person  who  held  that  office  at  the  moment 
was  a  no  less  distinguished  man  than  the  celebrated  De 
Witt  Clinton.  But  he  was  at  the  same  time  a  Freemason, 
and  what  is  more,  he  was  high-priest  of  the  General 
Grand  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  in  other  words,  the 
highest  officer  of  the  order.  The  fact  was  known  through- 
out the  region  of  western  New  York,  and  was  unquestion- 
ably relied  upon  as  a  protection  from  danger  by  those 
who  were  concerned  in  the  deeds  of  violence.  Indeed  it 
afterward  came  out  that  what  purported  to  be  a  letter 
from  him  was  freely  used  for  the  purpose  of  instigating 
the  members  of  the  order  to  prosecute  their  schemes. 
There  are  many  living  who  yet  suspect  that  the  letter 
was  actually  genuine ;  but  that  suspicion  is  believed  to  be 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

unjust  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Governor  Clinton,  who 
did  what  he  could,  as  soon  as  he  became  apprized  of  the 
character  of  the  offense,  to  bring  the  guilty  to  punishment, 
^he  fact,  however,  furnishes  an  instructive  illustration  of 
the  great  danger  attending  the  existence  of  secret  ties, 
which  may  even  be  suspected  to  conflict  in  the  mind  of  a 
high  officer  of  state  with  the  performance  of  his  public 
duties.  The  moral  influence  of  his  situation  was  thus 
wholly  lost  upon  men  who  believed  that,  whatever  he 
might  say  in  public  to  the  contrary,  his  sympathies  were 
all  with  them ;  who  supposed  that  his  private  obligations 
to  conceal  and  never  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  his  brother 
Masons,  as  well  as  to  aid  and  assist  in  extricating  them 
from  any  difficulty  in  which  they  might  become  involved, 
might  be  depended  upon,  at  least  so  far  as  to  shelter 
them  from  the  legal  consequences  of  their  own  misdeeds, 
within  the  sphere  of  the  executive  influence.  Was  this 
an  inference  wholly  unwarranted  from  the  language  of  the 
Masonic  oath?  Let  any  impjartial  individual  examine  its 
nature,  and  answer  affirmatively  if  he  can.  Doubtless 
De  Witt  Clinton  was  wholly  innocent  of  guilt,  but  his 
situation  was  not  the  less  clearly  one  of  conflict  between 
his  Masonic  and  his  social  and  religious  duty.  Although 
he  may  have  escaped  contamination,  another  and  weaker 
individual  might  have  made  himself  accessory  to  the 
crime.  At  all  events,  it  must  be  conceded  that  the 
situation  in  which  he  was  thrown  was  one  not  unnaturally 
the  consequence  of  his  assumption  of  conflicting  obliga- 
tions, and  one  in  which  no  high  civil  officer  under  any 
government  should  ever  be  suffered  to  stand. 


30  INTRODUCTION. 

The  second  manifestation  of  the  force  of  the  Masonic 
obligation  was  made  visible  in  the  courts  of  justice,  which 
are  established  to  try  persons  charged  with  the  commission 
of  offenses  against  human  life  or  liberty.  The  sheriffs, 
whose  duty  it  was  under  the  laws  of  New  York  to  select 
and  summon  the  grand-juries,  were,  in  all  the  counties  in 
which  the  deeds  of  violence  against  Morgan  had  been 
committed.  Freemasons.  Several  of  them  had  themselves 
been  parties  to  the  crime.  They  did  not  hesitate  to  make 
use  of  their  power  as  officers  of  justice  to  screen  the  crim- 
inals from  conviction.  The  jurors  whom  they  summoned 
were  m6st  of  them  Masons,  some  of  them  participators  in 
the  offenses  into  which  it  became  their  civil  duty  to  in- 
quire. The  consequence  may  readily  be  imagined.  Money, 
time,  and  talent  were  expended  in  profusion,  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  the  perpetrators  of  the  crime  com- 
plained of  to  condign  punishment ;  but  almost  in  vain. 
Some  of  the  suspected  persons  were  found  and  put  upon 
their  trial;  but  the  secret  obligation  prevailed  in  the 
jury-box,  and  uniformly  rescued  them  in  the  moment  of 
their  utmost  need.  Others  vanished  from  the  scene,  and 
eluded  pursuit  even  to  the  farthest  limits  of  the  United 
States.  One  man,  and  probably  the  most  guilty,  was 
tracked  to  the  bosom  of  a  lodge  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
by  the  members  of  which  he  was  secreted,  put  on  board 
of  a  vessel  below  the  harbor,  and  dispatched  to  a  foreign 
land.  Five  years  were  consumed  in  unavailing  efforts  to 
obtain  a  legal  conviction  of  the  various  offenders.  Nothing 
that  deserves  the  name  of  a  true  verdict  followed.  Such 
a  history  of  deeply-studied,  skillfully-combined,  and  sue- 


INTRODUCTION.  31 

cessfully-executed  movements  to  set  at  naught  the  lawful- 
ly-constituted tribunals  of  justice,  has  at  no  other  time 
been  made  evident  in  America,  Important  witnesses  were 
carried  off  at  the  moment  when  their  evidence  was 
indispensable,  and  placed  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
state  ;  or  if  present  and  interrogated,  they  stood  doggedly 
mute ;  or  else  they  placed  themselves  entirely  under  the 
guidance  of  legal  advisers  employed  to  protect  them  from 
criminating  themselves.  It  was  made  plain  to  the  most 
ordinary  capacity  that  the  order  was  assuming  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  crime  of  some  of  its  members.  It  was 
exerting  itself  to  throw  over  the  guilty  the  protecting 
garb  of  the  innocent.\^  The  obligation  of  Freemasonry 
was  then  the  law  paramount,  and  the  social  system  sunk 
into  nothing  by  the  side  of  itT^  Even  distant  lodges 
responded  favorably  to  the  call  made  upon  them  to  aid  in 
the  defense  of  the  endangered  brethren,  by  actually 
voting  and  forwarding  sums  of  money  for  their  relief. 
And  the  brief  and  insignificant  period  of  imprisonment 
which  two  or  three  of  them  paid  as  a  penalty  for  compara- 
tively light  offenses,  was  spent  by  them  in  receiving  the 
sympathy  of  a  martyr's  fate,  J  The  end  of  all  was,  that  for 
the  first  time  Masonry  enjoyed  its  complete  triumph.  The 
men  who  actually  participated  in  the  murder  have  gradu- 
ally dropped  off,  until  it  may  be  said  that  not  a  single 
individual  remains  within  the  United  States.  ^  But  they 
lived  and  died  secure  from  every  danger  of  legal  punish- 
ment. The  oath  of  Masonry  came  in  conflict  with  the 
duty  to  society  and  to  God,  and  succeeded  in  setting  it 
aside. 


32  INTRODUCTION. 

The  ends  of  justice  were  defeated ;  but  the  labors  of 
those  indefatigable  persons  who  had  striven  day  and  night 
to  promote  them,  were  not  altogether  thrown  away.  The 
materials  were  collected  to  show  the  world  the  chain  of 
connection  wove  by  the  Masonic  obligations  between  the 
subordinate  lodges  of  western  New  York  and  the  higher 
authorities  in  the  East.  The  popular  attention  was  turned 
to  every  Masonic  movement — not  solely  in  the  state  in 
which  had  been  the  cause  of  offense,  but  in  all  of  the 
neighboring  states.  Extraordinary  powers  to  pursue  the 
investigations  to  its  source  were  demanded  of  various  leg- 
islative bodies,  and  the  treatment  of  these  applications 
elicited  the  fact  that  Freemasonry  exercised  a  power  almost 
as  great  in  the  deliberative  assemblies  as  in  the  executive 
council  chamber,  or  in  the  jury-box  of  the  courts.  The 
opposition  to  Masonry  became  gradually  more  and  more 
intensely  political,  and  in  the  process  took  up  an  aspect  of 
extreme  and  illiberal  vindictiveness  toward  all  who  vent- 
ured to  stay  its  progress.  The  other  parties  were  com- 
pelled to  bend  to  the  force  of  the  blast  that  was  sweeping 
over  them.  The  revelation  made  by  Morgan,  in  the  book 
which  cost  him  his  life,  though  at  first  called  an  imposture, 
proved  on  examination  to  be  strictly  true.  But  they  em- 
braced only  the  first  three  degrees  of  Masonry.  Other 
persons,  disgusted  and  indignant  at  the  proceedings  of 
their  adhering  brethren  after  the  fate  of  Morgan  was 
known  to  them,  voluntarily  came  forward  and  supplied  all 
the  remaining  forms  used  in  America,  and  many  of  those 
which  had  been  adopted  in  Europe.  A  considerable 
number  openly  and  voluntarily  seceded  from  the  order. 


INTRODUCTION.  33 

A  meeting  of  such  persons  held  at  Le  Roy  ended,  as  has 
been  already  stated,  in  a  formal  renunciation  by  them  of 
all  their  obligations.  Here  and  there  in  other  states  the 
example  was  followed  by  a  few.  There  were  more  who 
silently  seceded,  having  made  up  their  minds  never  again 
to  visit  a  lodge.  Yet  in  spite  of  all  this,  in  spite  of  the 
earnest  exhortation  addressed  to  his  brethren  by  Colonel 
W.  L.  Stone,  in  a  book  written  by  him  to  prevail  upon 
them  to  dissolve  the  lodges  and  chapters  and  to  abandon 
Masonry  altogether,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  great 
majority  of  the  society  remained  equally  unmoved  by  de- 
nunciation, flattery,  or  prayer.  Some  had  the  assurance 
publicly  to  deny  the  truth  of  all  the  allegations  made 
against  Masonry,  and  further  to  affirm  that  they  had  never 
taken  obligations  as  Masons  not  compatible  with  their 
duties  as  citizens.  Others — and  the  most  important  of 
these  was  Edward  Livingston,  then  uniting  with  the  pos- 
session of  one  of  the  chief  posts  of  responsibility  in  the 
general  government,  that  of  the  highest  dignity  in  the 
Masonic  hierarchy,  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Clinton, 
— deemed  it  the  part  of  wisdom  to  remain  sullenly  dumb, 
abstaining  from  all  controversy,  and  suffering  the  excite- 
ment against  Masons  to  blow  over  and  spend  itself  in 
vain.  In  this  spirit  Mr.  Livingston  proceeded  to  deliver 
what  he  called  an  Address  to  the  General  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  upon  the  occasion  of 
his  installation  as  general  grand  high-priest.  He  recom- 
mended that  all  attacks  made  upon  the  order  to  which 
they  belonged  should  be  met  with  dignified  silence — as 
if  dignified  silence  were  not  equally  a  resource  for  the 


34;  INTRODUCTION. 

most  atrocious  criminal  and  for  the  most  unspotted  citizen. 
The  charge  as  against  Mr.  Livingston  was  surely  worthy 
of  some  little  consideration  when  connected  with  the 
evidence  already  laid  before  the  public  to  sustain  it.  It 
was  neither  more  nor  less  than  this,  that  he,  being  secre- 
tary of  state  of  the  United  States,  one  of  the  confidential 
advisers  of  the  president,  and  moreover  the  reputed  author 
of  a  strong  proclamation  issued  by  the  chief-magistrate 
against  those  in  danger  of  falling  into  treasonable  practices 
by  their  connection  with  South  Carolina  nullification, 
was  yet  himself  under  secret  obligations  which  required 
him  to  conceal  the  evidence  of  all  the  offenses  denounced 
in  that  state  paper,  provided  only  that  it  should  be  com- 
municated to  him  under  the  seal  of  Masonic  confidence. 
Not  to  answer  such  a  charge  as  this  implied  rather  a 
doubt  of  the  ability  to  do  so  satisfactorily  than  a  perfect 
reliance  upon  the  consciousness  of  innocence.  If  Masonry 
was  free  firom  all  the  objections  raised  by  its  opponents, 
what  more  effective  step  to  establish  its  innocence  than  a 
simple  statement  of  the  truth  ?  If  it  was  a  valuable  in- 
stitution, worthy  of  preservation,  surely  the  effort  to 
sustain  it  against  injurious  calumnies  was  worth  making. 
Could  it  be  supposed  that  the  unanimous  testimony  to  the 
alleged  character  of  the  oaths,  brought  by  hundreds  of 
respectable  persons  who  had  taken  them,  but  who  now 
renounce  them,  was  to  be  discredited  by  the  merely  nega- 
tive action  of  adhering  Masons,  however  individually 
respectable,  or  however  exalted  in  position  ?  Consider- 
ing the  precise  nature  of  the  difficulties  by  which  they 
were  surrounded,  it  is  clear  that  no  defense  could  have 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

been  assumed  by  them,  in  its  character  more  nugatory. 
It  manifested  only  the  consciousness  of  wrong,  combined 
with  a  dogged  resolution  never  to  admit  nor  to  retract  it. 

The  address  of  Mr.  Livingston,  such  as  it  was,  proved 
the  inciting  cause  of  the  publication  of  a  series  of  letters 
directed  by  Mr.  Adams  to  him,  which  will  be  found  to 
make  a  part  of  the  present  volume.  In  these  papers  the 
argument  against  the  Masonic  obligation,  as  the  root  of 
all  the  crimes  committed  in  the  case  of  Morgan,  was 
pushed  with  a  force  which  carried  conviction  to  the  minds 
of  many  persons  at  the  time,  and  which  seems  even  at  this 
day  scarcely  to  admit  of  reply.  Mr.  Livingston  himself 
made  no  attempt  at  rejoinder.  This  was  the  part  of  dis- 
cretion, for  had  he  done  so,  there  is  little  reason  to  doubt 
that  Mr.  Adams  would  have  fulfilled  his  promise  when  he 
said  to  him,  "  Had  you  ventured  to  assume  the  defense 
of  the  Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties ;  had  you 
presumed  \.o  commit  your  name  to  the  assertion  that  they 
can  by  any  possibility  be  reconciled  to  the  laws  of  moral- 
ity, of  Christianity,  or  of  the  land,  I  should  have  deemed 
it  my  duty  to  reply,  and  to  have  completed  the  demon- 
stration before  God  and  man  that  they  can  not^ 

The  opportunity  for  a  complete  and  overwhelming  y 
victory  was  thus  denied  to  Mr.  Adams  by  the  tacit  seces- 
sion from  the  field  of  Mr.  Livingston.  Yet  the  effect  of 
his  letters  was  by  no  means  trifling  in  many  states.  The 
moral  power  of  the  opponents  of  Masonry  visibly  increased, 
and  with  it  the  earnestness  of  their  political  hostility  to 
those  who  practiced  its  rites.  It  showed  itself  in  the  gen- 
eral election  of  state  officers,  both  in  New  York  and 


36  INTRODUCTION. 

Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  nomination  of  Mr.  William  Wirt 
as  a  candidate  at  the  ensuing  election  for  the  presidency 
of  the  United  States,  in  opposition  to  General  Jackson, 
the  incumbent,  who  was  found  to  be  a  Freemason.  Neither 
was  Mr.  Adams  himself  suffered  to  remain  disconnected 
with  the  movement  of  political  opinions  upon  the  subject. 
A  large  convention  of  citizens  of  Massachusetts  unani- 
mously called  upon  him  to  suffer  his  name  to  be  used  in 
the  canvass  for  the  office  of  governor,  which  took  place  in 
that  state  in  the  year  1833.  Reluctant  as  he  was  to  enter 
into  the  arena,  and  to  sacrifice  his  preference  for  the  posi- 
tion in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States, 
which  he  then  occupied,  the  nature  of  the  appeal  made  to 
him  overcame  all  his  scruples.  The  election  took  place. 
It  terminated  in  the  failure  to  make  choice  of  any  person 
by  the  requisite  constitutional  majority.  The  power  of 
the  party  which  had  for  a  long  time  held  the  control  of 
the  government  of  Massachusetts,  and  with  which  Mr. 
Adams  had  up  to  this  period  co-operated,  was  broken 
under  the  effort  to  sustain  Masonry  against  him.  Had 
he  determined  to  persevere,  it  is  quite  uncertain  what 
might  have  been  the  consequences  to  the  position  of  the 
commonwealth.  But  it  was  not  his  wish  to  press  the 
matter  beyond  the  point  which  a  sense  of  duty  dictated. 
No  sooner  was  it  ascertained  by  the  return  of  the  votes 
that  a  continuance  of  the  contest  in  the  legislature  of  the 
state  was  to  be  the  result  of  his  adherence  to  his  position, 
than  he  determined  to  withdraw  his  name  from  the  can- 
vass. At  the  same  time  that  he  took  this  step,  he  caused 
to  be  published  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  common- 


INTRODUCTION.  37 

wealth,  explaining  his  views  of  the  connection  between 
Masonry  and  the  poHtics  of  the  country,  and  justifying 
himself  from  the  charges  with  which  he  had  been  most , 
vehemently  assailed.  With  this  paper,  the  last  in  the 
present  volume,  and  the  close  of  which  is  in  a  strain  of 
eloquence  which  alone  should  secure  its  preservation,  Mr. 
Adams  appears  to  have  terminated  his  public  labors  in 
opposition  to  secret  obligations  and  to  Freemasonry.  But 
their  effects  were  soon  afterward  made  visible,  by  the 
adoption  of  laws  prohibiting  the  administration  of  extra- 
judicial oaths,  by  the  voluntary  dissolution  of  many  of 
the  subordinate  lodges,  and  by  the  tacit  secession  of  a 
large  number  of  individual  members.  Indeed,  such  was  the 
silence  preserved  for  a  long  time  respecting  the  institution, 
that  its  existence  in  Massachusetts  might  almost  have  been 
questioned.  The  purposes  for  which  the  organized  oppo- 
sition had  been  made  seemed  so  completely  answered 
that  the  motives  for  maintaining  it  were  no  longer  strongly 
felt.  The  current  of  public  affairs  soon  afterward  took  a 
new  turn.  Antimasonry  gradually  disappeared  as  an 
agent  to  effect  changes  in  the  political  aspect  of  the  states, 
and  the  individuals  who  had  associated  themselves  in  the 
movement  again  joined  the  ordinary  party  organizations 
with  which  they  most  nearly  sympathized. 

Thus  it  happened  that  Freemasonry,  by  cowering  under 
the  storm,  saved  itself  from  the  utter  prostration  which 
would  have  followed  perseverance  in  the  policy  of  resist- 
ance. Years  have  passed  away,  and  it  again  gives  symp- 
toms of  revivification.  A  new  and  kindred  institution 
has  suddenly  manifested   an    extraordinary  degree  of 

J.  -1  \).  1  -J  d 


X 


38  INTRODUCTION. 

development  under  the  guise  of  benevolence.  What  the 
precise  nature  of  the  obligations  may  be,  which  bind  great 
numbers  of  citizens,  mostly  young,  active  men,  into  this 
connection,  has  not  yet  been  fully  brought  to  light.  The 
objects  are  stated  to  be  charity  and  the  rendering  of  mu- 
tual aid.  If  these  are  all  the  purposes  of  the  association,  it 
can  not  be  otherwise  than  meritorious.  Yet  it  can  scarcely 
be  maintained  that  any  unlimited  pledge  of  secrecy  is  es- 
sential to  the  successful  execution  of  them.  In  a  republi- 
can form  of  government,  the  only  real  and  proper  fraternity 
is  the  system  of  civil  society.  To  that  every  member  is 
bound  to  bow.  The  obligations  which  it  imposes  neeb 
no  veil  of  secrecy  to  cover  them.  Illustrated  by  the  law 
of  love  enjoined  by  the  superior  authority  of  divine 
command,  it  marks  out  with  distinctness  to  each  individual 
the  paramount  duty  of  charity,  of  benevolence,  and  of 
mutual  aid  and  support.  There  can  be,  therefore,  no 
good  excuse  for  resorting  to  smaller  and  narrower  spheres 
for  the  invidious  exercise  of  such  virtues  among  those  who 
ought  to  stand  upoa  a  perfectly  even  footing,  when  the 
broad  and  general  one  better  answers  to  every  useful  and 
honorable  exertion.  The  disadvantages  attending  the 
formation  of  all  associations  connected  by  secret  obliga- 
tions, no  matter  how  harmless  may  be  their  appearance, 
are,  first,  that  if  they  have  any  effect  at  all,  it  is  injurious 
to  those  who  do  not  choose  to  join  them ;  secondly,  that 
they  substitute  a  private  pledge  of  a  doubtful  nature  to  a 
few  who  have  no  moral  right  to  the  preference,  for  a  clear 
and  well-defined  and  entirely  proper  one  given  to  the 
many.    In  all  similar  cases,  the  tendency  to  introduce 


INTRODUCTION.  39 

objects  of  exertion  in  the  smaller  circle  which  conflict 
with  those  of  society  at  large,  and  which  may  sometimes 
even  threaten  its  safety,  is  obvious.  It  is  the  temptation 
presented  to  conspiracy  which  has  made  secret  associations 
the  objects  of  denunciation  by  the  monarchs  of  Europe. 
The  same  thing  should  at  all  times  render  them  marks  for 
jealousy  and  distrust  in  republican  states.  They  threaten 
the  harmony  of  the  community  wherever  they  are.  The 
pledge  of  political  preference  which  was  rapidly  becoming 
ingrafted  upon  the  Masonic  institution  in  the  United 
States,  at  the  time  of  the  Morgan  excitement,  and  which 
had  already  produced  visible  results  in  many  of  the 
smaller  towns  of  New  York  and  New  England,  by  unac- 
countably exalting  some  individuals  to  the  depression  of 
neighbors  equally  worthy,  furnishes  a  good  illustration  of 
the  mode  in  which  social  discord  of  the  bitterest  descrip- 
tion may  be  made  in  the  end  to  spring  up.  In  view  of 
the  possibility  of  this  hazard,  it  would  seem  as  if  few  could 
be  found,  when  once  made  sensible  of  the  difficulty, 
willing  deliberately  to  give  occasion  to  it. 

It  is  confidently  believed  that  in  the  materials  of  the 
present  volume  will  be  found  a  solemn  warning,  conveyed 
by  a  voice  in  the  feebleness  of  age  still  powerful  over  the 
sympathy  of  American  citizens  against  the  formation  of 
secret  obligations.  As  time  rolls  on  its  swift  career,  and 
as  the  generation  which  nursed  the  infant  republic  into 
strength  disappears  from  the  scene,  the  duty  becomes 
stronger  on  those  who  succeed,  to  heed  the  counsels  which 
its  wisest  and  most  experienced  men  leave  behind  them. 
The  arguments  of  Mr.  Adams,  although  directed  against 


40  INTRODUCTION. 

the  particular  order  of  Freemasonry,  will  yet  be  found 
susceptible  of  broader  application,  and  extending  them- 
selves over  all  societies  of  which  the  radical  error  is,  that 
they  shun  the  light  of  day.  The  pride  of  freemen — living 
under  a  system  of  equal  laws,  with  guaranties  of  the  rights 
of  each  individual — should  be  to  sustain  the  junction  of 
innocence  with  liberty,  the  union  of  an  open,  honest  heart 
with  an  efficient  and  liberal  hand.  Such  a  state  can  not 
co-exist  with  secret  obligations.  The  person  who  lies  under 
an  engagement  which  he  must  not  reveal,  whatever  may 
betide,  can  indeed  be  innocent  and  energetic,  but  he  will 
not  be  perfectly  frank  nor  just  to  all  men  alike.  Occa- 
sions may  arise  in  which  his  fidelity  to  his  private  pledges 
will  come  into  conflict  with  his  duty  to  society.  Who  is 
then  to  decide  for  him  what  he  must  do  ?  On  either  side 
is  moral  difficulty  and  mental  distress.  If  he  betray  his 
associates,  he  spots  his  heart  with  violated  faith.  If  he  de- 
sert his  country,  he  fails  in  a  duty  of  even  higher  obligation. 
The  alternative  is  too  painful  to  a  conscientious  spirit  ever 
knowingly  to  be  hazarded  with  propriety.  That  such  an 
alternative  is  by  no  means  impossible,  who  can  doubt  after 
the  cases  of  Eli  Bruce,  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  and  of  Edward 
Livingston,  in  the  Masonic  history  of  the  murder  of  Mor- 
gan? Much  as  he  might  regret  it,  what  Freemason  was 
there  in  1826  who  did  not  perceive  at  a  glance  that  his 
pledge  to  his  associates  was  to  conceal  the  crime  and  to 
shelter  the  criminal ;  while  his  duty  to  state  and  to  heav- 
en, to  disclose  the  guilt  and  to  denounce  the  author,  was 
written  with  a  sunbeam  on  his  heart?  And  how  many 
were  there,  who,  instead  of  judging  rightly  of  the  relative 


INTRODUCTION.  41 

importance  of  the  obligations,  actually  made  themselves 
accessories  after  the  fact,  by  supplying  the  means  of 
escape  from  justice  to  their  unworthy  brethren?  The 
damning  evidence  of  this  truth  must  remain  in  the  minds 
of  men  as  long  as  Masonry  shall  endure.  It  may  indeed 
be  that  other  associations  will  spring  up  which  may  be 
free  from  all  the  grossly  objectionable  engagements  of  that 
institution.  But  who  shall  be  secure  against  the  intrusion 
of  evil  when  the  portal  stands  invitingly  open  to  its  admis- 
sion ?  Who  shall  be  able  to  protect  himself  against  the 
designs  of  those  of  his  associates  to  whom  he  has  given  a 
secret  control  over  his  will  ?  These  are  questions  which 
every  citizen  must  answer  for  himself.  It  is  with  the 
design  that  he  may  have  at  hand  the  means  of  acting 
understanding! y,  that  the  present  volume  is  put  forth. 
Young  persons,  who  are  especially  liable  to  be  carried 
away  by  the  fascination  that  always  attends  mystery,  are 
hereby  furnished  with  an  opportunity  to  weigh  the  argu- 
ments of  a  powerful  remonstrant  against  any  secret  steps. 
May  they  read,  weigh,  and  deeply  ponder  the  words  of 
wisdom,  and  may  the  effect  of  them  be  to  preserve  them 
in  the  paths  of  liberty,  of  friendship,  and  of  faith,  early 
marked  out  by  their  adviser  as  the  guides  of  his  own  career, 
unincumbered  by  obligations  which  they  fear  to  disclose, 
unembarrassed  by  promises  which  they  know  not  how 
conscientiously  to  perform  ! 


MR.  ADAMS'  LETTERS 


ON  THE 


MASOOTC  INSTITUTION. 


Adams'  Letters,  Addresses,  Etc, 


TO  A   REVIEWER  OF   SHEPPARD'S    DEFENSE    OF 
THE  MASONIC  INSTITUTION. 

The  following  letter  from  John  Quincy  Adams  explains 
the  views  of  his  illustrious  father,  and  of  himself,  on  the 
subject  of  Freemasonry.  It  was  written  in  reply  to  a  note 
from  our  correspondent,  who  is  reviewing  Mr.  Sheppard's 
Defense  of  the  Masonic  Institution.  It  may  be  recollected 
that  Mr.  Sheppard  claimed  the  elder  Adams  as  a  patron  of 
the  order ;  and  our  correspondent  took  the  liberty  of  ad- 
dressing Mr.  Adams,  asking  for  information  on  this  point. 
— Boston  Press. 

Quincy,  22  August,  1831. 

Sir: — The  letter  from  ray  father  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Massachusetts,  which  Mr.  Sheppard  has 
thought  proper  to  introduce  into  his  address,  was 
a  complimentary  answer  to  a  friendly  and  patriotic 
address  of  the  grand  lodge  to  him.  In  it  he  ex- 
pressly states  that  he  had  never  been  initiated  in 
the  order.  He  therefore  knew  nothing  of  their 
secrets,  their  oaths,  nor  their  penalties.  Far  less 
kad  their  practical  operation  been  revealed  by  the 
4 


50  LETTEUS    AND    OPINIONS 

murder  of  William  Morgan.  Nor  had  the  hand 
of  the  avenger  of  blood  been  arrested  for  five  long 
years — and  probably  forever — by  the  contumacy 
of  witnesses  setting  justice  at  defiance  in  her  own 
sanctuary.  Nor  had  the  trial  of  an  accomplice  in 
guilt  marked  the  influence  of  one  juror  under  Ma- 
sonic oaths  upon  the  verdict  of  his  eleven  fellows. 

That  Mr.  Sheppard  should  resort  to  a  .etter 
from  my  father,  a  professedly  uninitiated  man,  to 
liberate  the  Masonic  institution  from  the  unre- 
futed  charge  of  unlawful  oaths,  of  horrible  and 
disgusting  jjenalties  and  secrets,  the  divulging  of 
which  has  been  punished  by  a  marder  unsurpassed 
in  human  atrocity,  is  to  me  passing  strange.  All 
that  my  father  knew  of  Masonry  in  1798  was  that 
it  was  favorable  to  the  siq)port  of  civil  authority; 
and  this  he  inferred  from  the  characters  of  inti- 
timate  friends  of  his,  and  excellent  men  who  had 
been  members  of  the  society.  The  inference  was 
surely  natural ;  but  he  had  never  seen  the  civil 
authority  in  conflict  with  Masonry  itself.  To 
speak  of  the  Masonic  institution  as  favorable  to 
the  support  of  civil  authority  at  this  day,  and  in 
this  country,  would  be  a  mockery  of  the  common 
sense  and  sensibility  of  mankind. 

My  father  says  he  had  known  the  love  of  the 
fine  arts,  the  delight  in  hospitality,  and  the  devo- 
tion to  humanity  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.     All 


ox   FREEMASONRY.  51 

these  qualities,  no  doubt,  then  were,  and  yet  are, 
conspicuous  in  many  members  of  the  society. 
They,  and  qualities  of  a  jet  higher  order,  were 
not  less  conspicuous  in  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits. 
They  were  conspicuous  in  many  of  the  monastic 
orders — in  the  Inquisition  itself,  whose  ministers 
in  the  very  act  of  burning  the  body  of  the  heretic 
to  death  were  always  actuated  by  the  tenderest 
and  most  humane  regard  for  the  salvation  of  his 
soul. 

The  use  of  my  father's  name  for  the  purposes 
to  which  Mr.  Sheppard  would  now  apply  it  is  an 
injury  to  his  memory,  which  I  deem  it  my  duty, 
as  far  as  may  be  in  my  power,  to  redress.  You 
observe  he  says  he  had  never  been  initiated  in  the 
Masonic  order.  And  I  have  more  than  once  heard 
from  his  own  lips  why  he  had  never  enjoyed  that 
felicity. 

Mr.  Jeremy  Gridley,  whom  he  mentions  as  hav- 
ing been  his  intimate  friend,  was  grand  master  of 
the  Massachusetts  grand  lodge.  He  was  also  the 
attorney-general  of  the  Crown  when,  in  October, 
1758,  my  father,  having  finished  his  law  studies 
and  his  school-keeping  at  Worcester,  presented 
himself,  a  stranger,  poor,  friendless,  and  obscure, 
to  ask  of  him  the  favor  to  present  him  to  the  su- 
perior court  of  the  province,  then  sitting  at  Bos- 
ton, for  admission  to  the  bar.    Mr.  Grridley,  in  his 


52  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

own  office,  examiued  the  youthful  aspirant  with 
regard  to  his  professional  acquirements;  gave  him 
advice  truly  parental  and  dictated  by  the  purest 
virtue ;  and  then  presented  him  to  the  court  with 
a  declaration  that  he  had  himself  examined  him, 
and  could  assure  their  honors  that  his  legal  ac- 
quirements were  very  considerable,  and  fully 
worthy  of  the  admission  which  he  solicited. 

This  kindness  of  Mr.  Gridley  was  never  forgot- 
ten by  my  father;  I  trust  it  never  will  be  forgotten 
by  his  children.  From  that  day  forth,  while  Mr. 
Gridley  lived,  he  was  the  intimate  friend,  per- 
sonal and  professional,  of  my  father.  He  died  in 
1767.  My  father  often  resorted  to  him  for  friend- 
ly counsel,  and,  as  he  was  grand  master  of  the 
lodge,  once  asked  his  advice,  whether  it  was  worth 
his  while  to  become  a  member  of  the  society.  In 
the  candor  of  friendship  Mr.  Gridley  answered 
him,  No,  adding  that  by  aggregation  to  the  soci- 
ety a  young  man  might  acquire  a  little  artificial 
support,  but  that  he  did  not  need  it,  and  that 
there  was  nothing  in  the  Masonic  institution 
worthy  of  his  seeking  to  be  associated  with  it. 

So  said  at  that  time  the  Grand  Master  of  the 
Massachusetts  Masons,  Jeremy  Gridley;  and  such, 
I  have  repeatedly  heard  my  father  say,  was  the 
reason  why  he  never  joined  the  lodge. 

The  use  of  the  name  of  Washington  to  give  an 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  53 

odor  of  sanctity  to  the  institution  as  it.  now  stands 
exposed  to  the  world  is,  in  my  opinion,  as  unwar- 
rantable as  that  of  my  father's  name.  On  the 
mortal  side  of  human  existence  there  is  no  name 
for  which  I  entertain  a  veneration  more  profound 
than  for  that  of  Washington.  But  he  was  never 
called  to  consider  the  Masonic  order  in  the  light 
in  which  it  nmst  now  be  viewed.  If  he  had  been, 
we  have  a  pledge  of  what  his  conduct  would  have 
been  far  more  authoritative  than  the  mere  fact  of 
his  having  been  a  Mason  can  be  in  favor  of  the 
brotherhood.*  If  you  wish  to  know  what  that 
pledge  is,  please  to  consult  the  recently-published 
writings  of  Thomas  Jefterson,  vol.  I.,  from  page  \ 
416  to  422 ;  and  especially  the  paragraph  begin-  A 
ning  at  the  middle  of  page  418.  I  would  earnest- 
ly  recommend  the  perusal  and  meditation  of  the 
whole  passage  to  all  virtuous  and  conscientious 
Masons,  of  whom  I  know  there  are  great  numbers, 

'^Treating  of  the  order  of  the  Cincinnati. — a  secret  society  composed 
of  soldiers  of  the  Revolution,— Mr.  JeflPerson  says:  "  The  uneasiness 
excited  by  this  institution  had  very  early  caught  the  notice  of  General 
Washington.  Still  recollecting  all  the  purity  of  the  motives  which 
gave  U  birth,  he  became  sensible  that  it  might  produce  political  evils, 
which  the  warmth  of  those  motives  had  masked.  Add  to  this,  that  it 
was  disapproved  by  the  mass  of  citizens  of  the  Union.  This  alone  was 
reason  strong  enough  in  a  country  where  the  will  of  the  majority  is  the 
law,  and  ought  to  be  the  law.  He  saw  that  the  objects  of  the  institution 
wore  too  light  to  be  opposed  to  considerations  as  serious  as  these;  and 
that  it  was  become  necessary  to  annihilate  it  absolutely.  On  this, 
therefore,  he  was  decided.    The  first  annual  meeting  at  Philadelphia, 


5i  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

If  they  wish  to  draw  precepts  for  their  own  con- 
duct from  the  example  and  principles  of  Wash- 
ington, or  from  the  deliberate  and  anxious  opin- 
ions and  solicitude  of  Jefferson,  they  will  find  in 
those  pages  lessons  of  duty  for  themselves  which 
they  might  consider  it  as  presumption  in  me  to  offer 
them.  The  application  of  the  principles  in  a  case 
mot  identically  the  same,  but  in  every  essential 
point  of  argument  similar,  and  in  many  respects 
from  a  weaker  to  a  much  stronger  basis,  I  would 
leave  to  their  own  discretion,  though  first  divested 
of  its  passions.  It  is,  in  my  opinion,  an  unanswer- 
able demonstration  of  the  duty  of  every  Mason  in 
the  United  States  at  this  day. 

I  never  heard  and  do  not  believe  that  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Bently  ever  delivered  or  published  a  sermon 
censuring  my  father  for  anything  he  had  ever 
said  upon  the  subject  of  Masonry. 

was  now  at  hand.  He  went  to  that,  determined  to  exert  all  his  influence 
for  its  suppression.  He  proposed  it  to  his  fellow-officers,  and  urged  it 
with  all  his  powers.  It  met  an  opposition  which  was  observed  to  cloud 
his  face  with  an  anxiety  that  the  most  distressful  scenes  of  the  war 
scarcely  ever  produced.  It  was  canvassed  for  seven  days,  and,  at 
length,  it  was  no  more  a  doubt  what  would  be  its  ultimate  fate.  The 
order  was  on  the  point  of  receiving  its  annihilation  by  the  vote  of  a 
great  majority  of  its  members."  (Jefferson's  Works,  Vol.  I.  page  418.) 
Owing  to  the  influence  of  French  envoys, — who  were  greatly  tinctured 
with  infidelity,  and  filled  with  the  spirit  of  Red  Republicanism, — the 
society,  contrary  to  the  ardent  wish  of  Washington,  did  not  disband  ; 
but  it  was  modified.  Mr.  Jefferson's  conclusive  reasons  for  disapproval 
of  such  institutions,  are  given  in  the  succeeding  pages  of  his  works, 
and  they  are  mostly  equally  applicable  to  all  other  secret  orders.— [Ed3. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  55 

The  electoral  vote  of  Massachusetts  in  1801  was 
unanimous  for  mj  fatlier. 

You  are  at  liberty  to  make  what  use  of  this  let- 
ter you  please,  giving  notice  if  you  publish  it  that 
it  is  an  answer  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  received  by 
me. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO    EDWARD    INGERSOLL,   ESQ.,    PHILADELPHIA 

[extract.] 

September  21,  1831. 
Mr.  Chandler  has  truly  informed  you  that  I  am 
a  zealous  Anti mason, — to  this  extent:  It  is  my 
deliberate  opinion  that  from  the  time  of  the  com- 
mission of  the  crimes  committed  at  the  kidnap- 
ping and  murder  of  William  Morgan,  it  became 
the  solemn  and  sacred,  civic  and  social  duty  of 
every  Masonic  lodge  in  the  United  States  either 
to  dissolve  itself,  or  to  discard  forever  all  adminis- 
tration of  oaths  and  penalties  and  all  injunctions 
of  secrecy  of  any  kind  to  its  members.  I  believed 
it  also  their  duty,  though  of  less  imperious  obliga- 
tion, to  abolish  all  their  ill-assorted,  honorific  ti- 
tles, and  childish  or  ridiculous  pageants. 


56  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

I  believed  it  also  a  duty  sacredly  incumbent 
upon  every  individual  Freemason  in  the  United 
States  to  use  all  the  influence  in  his  power  to  pre- 
vail upon  his  brethren  of  the  order  to  the  same 
end,  that  is,  to  the  total  abolition  of  the  order,  or 
to  its  discarding  forever  all  oaths,  all  penalties,  all 
secrets,  and  all  fantastic  titles,  exhibitions,  and 
ceremonies  heretofore  used  in  the  institution. 

Believing  these  to  be  their  duties  I  did  not  feel 
myself  called  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  contro- 
versy which  I  saw  arising  in  the  community  con- 
cerning them.  I  took  considerable  pains  to  avoid 
entering  into  that  controversy.  I  endured  from 
individuals  of  the  fraternity,  instigated  from  the 
passions  of  the  order,  falsehood,  by  statements  in 
their  newspapers' that  I  was  one  of  their  members; 
ferjiiry,  to  atfcct  the  presidential  election,  by  an 
affidavit  sworn  to  before  a  Masonic  magistrate  by 
a  Master  Mason  that  he  had  sat  with  me  twice  at 
meetings  of  a  lodge  at  Pittsfield  ;  insulting,  cajol- 
ing, threatening  anonymous  letters  from  Masonic 
sources ;  abusive  slander  and  vituperation  in  Ma- 
sonic newspapers,  pamphlets,  and  even  volumes  ; 
and  other  wrongs  of  which  it  behooves  me  not  to 
speak.  All  these  I  have  endured  for  a  space  now 
of  at  least  four  years,  without  reply,  without  com- 
plaint, never  disguising  in  the  conversation  of  so- 
cial intercourse    the  opinions   above   expressed; 


ON  FREEMASONRY.'^  57 

never  seeking  occasion  to  promulge  tliem ;  and 
declining  time  after  time,  on  many  occasions  and 
in  various  forms,  to  engage  in  the  turmoil  of  Ma- 
Bonic  and  Antimasonic  warfare.  At  last  an  Ens:- 
lish  shepherd  of  Masonic  sheep  at  "Wiscasset,  in 
Maine,  has  the  impudence  to  vouch  in  my  father 
as  a  witness  to  the  sublime  and  transcendent  vir- 
tues of  Masonry,  and  in  the  same  pamphlet  casts 
a  due  portion  of  his  Masonic  filth  at  me ;  for 
what?  Because  in  a  confidential  letter,  not  in- 
tended for  the  public,  and  published  without  my 
consent,  I  had  once  written  that  I  should  never 
be  a  Mason ;  and  because  I  had  twice,  by  special 
invitation,  been  present  as  a  mere  spectator  at 
meetings  of  Antimasons  in  Boston.  Still  I  should 
have  overlooked  Mr.  Sheppard  and  his  Masonic 
virtues,  with  the  rest,  but  that  the  editor  of  the 
Boston  Press,  undertaking  to  review  his  defense 
of  Masonry,  wrote  to  me  to  inquire  what  I  knew 
of  this  pretended  panegyric  upon  Masonry  by  my 
father.  I  then  wrote  the  letter  which  you  have 
seen,  and  which  the  friendly  commentary  of  Mr. 
"Walsh — to  whom  you  may,  if  you  please,  with  my 
compliments,  show  this  letter — attributes  to  the 
"  eri'or  of  the  moon." 

I  said,  "  the  crimes  committed  at  the  kidnapping 
and  murder  of  "William  Morgan."  Do  you  know 
what  they  were  ?    Were  they  not, 


58  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

1.  Fraudulent  abuse  in  repeated  forms  of  tlie 
process  of  tlie  law  to  obtain,  upon  false  pretenses, 
possession  of  the  person  of  Morgan. 

2.  Infamous  slander  in  those  false  pretenses 
by  first  arresting  him  on  a  charge  against  him  of 
petty  larceny. 

3.  Previous  slander  in  newspaper  advertise- 
ments denouncing  him  as  a  swindler  and  impos- 
tor, calling  upon  brethren  and  companions  partic- 
ularly to  observe,  mark,  and  govern  themselves  ac- 
cordingly, and  declaring  that  the  fraternity  had 
amply  provided  against  his  evil  designs. 

4.  Conspiracy  of  Masonic  lodges  assembled  in 
great  numbers,  ferfas  et  nefas,  by  the  commission 
of  any  crime  to  suppress  his  book. 

5.  Arson,  by  setting  iire  at  night  to  Miller's 
printing-ofiice,  in  which  building  were  eight  or 
ten  persons  asleep,  whose  lives  were  saved  only 
by  the  early  discovery  of  the  projected  conliagi-a- 
tion. 

6.  Fraud,  deception,  and  treachery  in  procur- 
ing from  Morgan  himself  a  part  of  his  manuscript, 
which  was  finally  sent  by  a  special  messenger  to 
the  General  Grand  Chapter  of  the  United  States 
in  session  at  iN'ew  York. 

7.  Kidnapping,  -  too  successfully  practiced 
upon  Morgan, — attempted  upon  Miller. 

8.  False  imprisonment  and  transportation  of 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  59 

Morgan  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  United  States 
into  a  foreign  territory. 

9.  A  murder,  taking  nine  days  in  its  perpetra- 
tion, keeping  tlie  wretched  and  helpless  victim 
throughout  tlie  whole  of  that  time  in  a  state  of 
continual  and  cruel  torture. 

Sleep  upon  this  list  of  peccadilloes,  and  to-mor- 
row I  will  give  you  upon  them  a  word  of  com- 
ment. Yours, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  EDWARD  INGERSOLL,  ESQ. 

QuiN'CY,  September  22,  1831. 

Dear  Sir: — I  gave  you  in  my  last  letter  a  list  ot 
?iine  crimes,  among  the  most  atrocious  that  can 
be  perpetrated  by  human  agency,  committed  in 
the  original  transactions  connected  with  what  has 
been,  oy  an  exceedingly  inappropriate  euphony 
called,  the  abductmi  and  murder  of  William  Mor- 
gan. Abduction  is  a  word  of  lamb-like  innocence 
compared  with  the  ingredients  of  wickedness 
which  composed  the  crime  of  his  taking  oft". 
Language  sinks  under  the  eftbrt  to  express  its 
complicated  malignity. 

These  crimes  I  allege  were  committed  by  the 
fraternity.     They  were  instigated  by  no  impulse 


60  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

of  individual  passions, — by  none  of  the  stimulants 
to  the  ordinary  outrages  of  man  upon  man, — by  no 
personal  animosity, — by  no  purpose  of  robbery. 
They  were  the  crimes  of  the  craft,  of  which  the 
guilty  agents  by  whom  they  were  consummated 
were  but  the  fanatical  instruments. 

And  here  I  pray  you  to  remark  that  I  have  stat- 
ed these  crimes  interrogatively.  I  have  inquired 
of  you  whether  they  were  not  the  crimes  commit- 
ted in  those  transactions,  to  the  end  that  if  yoi^ 
find  upon  inquiry  that  I  have  set  them  down  in- 
correctly or  with  exaggeration,  you  may  reduce 
them  in  number  or  in  virulence  to  their  just  and 
well-proportioned  standard. 

I  charge  them  upon  the  craft  as  the  means  by 
which  public  notice  had  been  given  beforehand 
that  the  fraternity  had  amply  provided  against  his 
designs. 

In  these  crimes  several  hundreds  of  persons  ap- 
pear to  have  participated,  as  principals  or  acces- 
sories, before  or  after  the  fact.  The  measures 
were  taken  not  individually,  but  as  results  of  cor- 
porate deliberation  in  sundry  lodges. 

Mr.  Miner,  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  benev- 
olent of  men,  has  mistaken  the  terms  of  the  Anti- 
masonic  proposition.  There  are  no  doubt  degrees 
of  exasperation  of  different  temperature  among 
the  Antimasons :  but  I  know  of  none  disposed  to 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  61 

hold  every  individual  Mason  responsible  for  the 
tragedy  of  Morgan's  murder.  All  know  that 
there  are  now,  as  there  always  have  been,  Masons 
among  the  most  respectable  and  virtuous  mem- 
bers of  the  community.  But  they  belong  to  a 
vicious  institution,  and  it  is  their  duty  to  with- 
draw from  that  institution,  to  abolish  it,  or  to 
purify  it  from  its  vices,  oaths,  penalties,  and 
secrets. 

That  the  institution  is  vicious  might  be  very 
conclusively  inferred  from  the  effects  disclosed  in 
the  nine  crimes  above  enumerated,  even  if  their 
causes  were  yet  secret.  But  those  causes  have 
been  divulged.  We  know  that  every  Entered  Ap- 
prentice of  Masonry  has,  hoodwinked  and  with  a 
halter  round  his  neck,  administered  to  him  an 
oath,  the  words  of  which  he  is  required  to  repeat 
with  his  lips,  never  to  divulge  the  secrets  of  the 
order,  and  binding  himself  by  "  no  less  a  penalty 
than  to  have  his  throat  cut  across,  his  tongue  torn 
out  by  the  roots,  and  his  body  buried  in  the  rough 
sands  of  the  sea  at  low-water  mark,  where  the 
tide  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in  twenty-four  hours." 
Morgan  divulged  these  secrets,  and  his  fate  is  the 
practical  commentary  upon  the  penalty. 

The  oath,  the  penalty,  the  secret,  and  Morgan's 
corpse  at  the  bottom  of  Niagara  River,  where  a 
shrewd  brother  of  the  craft  "guessed  he  would 


62  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

publish  no  more  books,"  are  illustrations  of  each 
other  which  it  would  take  much  sophistry  to  ob- 
scure, much  prevarication  to  confuse.  Mr.  Miner 
has  taken  this  oath,  and  bound  himself  by  no  less 
than  this  penalty.  It  is  wise  and  prudent  in  him 
therefore  not  to  violate  the  oath;  and  he  would 
assuredly  not  have  been  the  man  to  execute  the 
penalty  upon  Morgan  for  considering  it  a  dead 
letter. 

But  will  Mr.  Miner  tell  you  that  the  penalty  is, 
or  that  it  is  not,  a  dead  letter?  If  it  is,  surely  the 
oath  is  the  same,  and  then  it  is  mere  profanity ; 
a  taking  of  the  name  of  God  in  vain;  odious  in 
proportion  to  the  disgusting  solemnity  of  the  form 
n  which  it  is  administered.  If  it  is  not  a  dead 
letter,  what  is  it?  Some  of  the  Masonic- defenses 
allege  that  it  is  only  an  imprecation — "under  no 
less  a  penalty  than  to  have  my  throat  cut " — a  mere 
imprecation  !  Is  it  not  then  a  paltering  with 
words  in  double  senses  ?  A  penalty  is  not  an  im- 
precation, and  to  have  the  throat  cut  across,  and 
the  tongue  torn  out  by  the  roots,  is  not  expulsion 
from  a  lodge.  The  substance  of  the  defense  is 
that  the  penalty  is  a  brutum  fulmen ;  that  there  is 
no  authority  existing  in  or  conferred  by  the  insti- 
tution to  carry  it  iilto  execution ;  and  that  it  is  a 
special  charge  to  all  Masons  upon  their  admission 
to  observe  faithfully  the  laws  of  God  and  of  the 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  63 

land.  But  for  every  degree  of  Masonry  ttere  is  a 
separate  oath  and  a  diversified  penalty ;  and  in 
some  ot  the  higher  degrees  it  includes  a  promise 
to  carry  into  eflect  the  punishments  of  the  fra- 
ternity;  I  have  heard  of  the  instructions  from 
the  owner  of  a  piratical  cruiser  to  his  captain,  di- 
recting him  to  take,  burn,  sink,  or  destroy  any 
merchant  vessel  of  any  nation  that  might  fall  in 
his  way,  and  to  dispose  of  the  people  on  board  of 
them  so  as  that  they  might  not  prove  afterwards 
troublesome ;  but  to  be  specially  careful  not  to  in- 
fringe upon  the  laws  of  nations  or  of  humanity. 
This  man  must  have  been  a  Mason  of  at  least  the 
Royal  Arch  degree- 
That  the  oaths  and  penalties  of  Manonry  were 
not  understood  by  the  multitudes  of  Masons  ac- 
cessory to  the  commission  of  the  nine  crimes 
enumerated  in  my  list  as  mere  imprecations  is 
self-evident.  By  them  they  were  understood  ac- 
cording to  their  plain,  unambiguous  import,  as  an 
absolute,  unequivocal  forfeiture  of  life,  and  an  ex- 
plicit consent  of  the  person  taking  the  oath  that 
he  should  be  put  to  death  in  the  horrid  manner 
described  in  the  terms  of  the  penalty  if  he  should 
divulge  the  secrets  of  the  order.  But  whether  the 
penalty  be,  as  it  purports,  a  real  penalty,  or  a 
mere  imprecation,  will  Mr.  Miner  say  that  it  is  a 
form  of  words  and  obligations  fit  to  be  adminis- 


64  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

tered  with  a  solemn  invocation  of  the  name  of 
God  to  a  Christian  and  a  freeman  ?  Cruel  and 
unusual  punishments  are  equally  abhorrent  to  the 
mild  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  to  the  spirit  of 
equal  liberty.  The  infliction  of  them  is  expressly 
prohibited  in  the  Bill  of  Rights  of  this  Common- 
wealth, and  yet  thousands  of  her  citizens  have  at- 
tested the  name  of  God  to  subject  themselves  to 
death  by  tortures  which  cannibal  savages  would 
instinctively  shrink  from  inflicting* 

It  has  therefore  been,  in  my  opinion,  ever  since 
the  disclosure  of  the  Morgan  murder  crimes,  and 
of  the  Masonic  oaths  and  penalties  by  which  they 
were  instigated,  the  indispensable  duty  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order  in  the  United  States,  either  to  dissolve 
itself,  or  to  discard  forever  from  its  constitution 
and  laws  all  oaths,  all  penalties,  all  secrets;  and,  as 
ridiculous  appendages  to  them,  all  mysteries  and 
pageants.  Believing  this  to  be  the  duty  of  the 
whole  order,  I  have  deemed  it  a  duty  equally  in- 
dispensable of  every  individual  Mason  to  use  in 
calmness  and  moderation  all  his  influence  with 
the  fraternity  to  come  to  one  or  the  other  of  these 
results.  And  I  have,  since  the  New  York  elec- 
tions of  the  last  autumn,  deemed  this  to  be  a  duty 
especially  and  above  all  incumbent  upon  Mr.  Clay. 
I  mean  that  he  should  have  set  a  similar  example 
to  that  of  Washington,  in  endeavoring  to  prevail 


ON  PREEMASONRY.  65 

upon  the  Order  of  the  Cincinnati  to  dissolve  them- 
selves, or  at  least  to  discard  the  most  exception- 
able parts  of  their  constitution,  in  which  latter 
purpose  he  succeeded.  I  have  not  said  this  to  Mr. 
Clay  because  in  the  estimate  of  his  duties  he  must 
be  his  own  counsellor,  and  I  know  he  has  had  ad- 
vice from  another  quarter,  which  he  has  doubtless 
deliberately  weighed.  But  it  brings  me  to  a  point 
upon  which  I  shall  ask  a  few  minutes  further  of 
your  patience  for  your  friend  hereafter. 

John  Quincy  Adams, 


TO  EDWARD  INGERSOLL,  ESQ. 

Quincy,  23  September,  183X. 

Dear  Sir: — From  the  nature  of  the  Masonic 
oaths,  penalties,  and  secrets,  and  the  construction 
given  to  them — not  a  forced  and  unnatural  one, 
but  conformable  to  the  plain  import  of  their  terms 
— by  multitudes  of  Masons  in  the  western  part  of 
IsTew  York,  the  crimes  immediately  connected 
with  the  murder  of  Wm.  Morgan  were  commit- 
ted. I  charge  them  therefore  upon  the  institu- 
tion ;  and  if  Masonry  had  been  until  then  a  per- 
fectly innocent  and  even  useful  institution,  from 
the  time  of  the  commission  of  those  crimes  it 
would  have  ceased  to  be  so.  From  that  time  the 
6 


66  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

comraiiintj  acquired  the  right  of  calling  upon  the 
fraternity  to  discontinue  and  renounce  at  least  the 
administration  of  oaths,  the  imposition  of  all 
forms  of  penalties,  and  all  secrets  whatever. 

A  large  and  increasing  portion  of  the  commu- 
nity have  made  this  demand, — a  demand  just  and 
reasonable  in  itself,  and  the  more  so  as  the  oaths, 
penalties,  and  secrets  have  been  divulged,  not  only 
by  Morgan's  book,  but  by  the  concurring  testi- 
mony of  numerous  seceding  Masons.  The  oaths, 
the  penalties,  and  the  secrets— whether  all  disclosed 
with  perfect  accuracy  or  not,  whether  understood 
as  they  were  by  the  murderers  of  Morgan  or  as 
explained  by  the  defenders  of  Masonry, — are  un- 
reasonable, odious,  and,  I  believe,  unlawful.  The 
oaths  of  all  Masons  heretofore  admitted,  if  they 
ever  had  any  binding  force,  are  dissolved  by  the 
fact  of  the  public  disclosure  of  the  secrets  which 
they  had  bound  themselves  to  keep.  Their  coun- 
try calls  upon  them  to  disclaim  henceforth  and 
forever  all  secrets,  and  as  incidental  to  the  injunc- 
tion of  them,  all  oaths  and  penalties.  This  rea- 
sonable and  moderate  call  has  not  only  been  re- 
sisted by  the  great  body  of  Freemasons  through- 
out the  United  States,  but  no  man,  high  or  low, 
eminent  or  obscure,  has  dared  to  avow  this  opin- 
ion and  unite  in  this  call  without  being  assailed 
in  his  reputation,  robbed  of  his  good  name,  in 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  67 

suited,  abused,  and  vilified  openly  and  in  secret, 
by  individual  Masons,  and  by  organized  lodges,  a 
body  of  at  least  two  hundred  thousand  men  scat- 
tered over  the  whole  Union — all  active  and  voting 
men,  linked  together  by  secret  ties  for  purposes  of 
indefinite  extent;  bound  together  by  oaths  and 
penalties  operating  with  terrific  energy  upon  the 
imagination  of  the  human  heart  and  upon  its 
fears;  embracing  within  the  penalty  of  its  laws 
the  president  of  the  United  States  and  his  leading 
competitors  ;  and  winding  itself  round  every  great 
political  party  for'  support,  like  poisonous  ivy 
round  a  sturdy  oak,  and  round,  every  object  of  its 
aversion  like  the  boa-constrictor  round  its  victim. 
Such  in  faint  and  diluted  colors  is  at  this  time  the 
image  of  the  Masonic  institution  in  these  United 
States.  Commanding  despotically  a  large  portion 
of  the  public  press,  intimida,ting  by  its  terrors 
multitudes  of  others,  and  amid  all  its  internal 
dissensions  uniting  with  the  whole  mass  of  its 
power  against  every  common  adversary,  one  of 
the  most  alarming  and  pernicious  characters  in 
which  it  now  presents  itself,  is  that  of  its  political 
dominion.  You  tell  me  that  you  are  Antimason- 
ic  in  your  opinions  and  feelings,  but  are  perplexed 
by  the  mixture  of  politics  with  Antimasonry. 
But  you  place  herein  the  effect  before  the  cause. 
The  mixture  of  politics  is  with  Masonry.     It  is 


68  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

the  misfortune  of  Mr.  Clay  to  be  entangled  with 
Masonry,  and  I  sincerely  regret  that  he  has  not 
felt  it  his  dut}',  as  I  think  it  was,  to  shake  oft'  his 
shackles.  His  motives,  I  have  no  doubt,  were 
generous,  but  the  eft'ect  is  that  he  sustains  and 
identifies  himself  with  "the  Masonic  cause.  That 
cause  is  now  sustained  only  by  such  artificial  and 
unnatural  pillars.  Neither  Mr.  Clay  nor  you  (for- 
give me  for  saying)  estimate  at  its  true  value  the 
cause  of  Antimasonry.  You  look  chiefly  to  the 
motive  ot  its  supporters,  and  distrust  them  too 
much. 

You  ask  if  3Iasonry  should  be  made  answerable 
for  the  crimes  of  a  few  individual  Masons.  Should 
the  royal  government  of  Kome  have  been  abol- 
ished for  the  violence  committed  upon  a  single 
woman  ?  Should  the  decemvirate  have  been  sub- 
verted for  the  murder  of  Virginia  by  her  own 
father?  Should  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  have  been 
exterminated  for  the  brutal  abuse  of  one  Levite's 
concubine  ?  Should  the  British  nation  have  gone 
to  war  with  Spain  for  the  cutting  oft"  by  a  few 
Spaniards  of  one  smuggler's  ears  ?  In  all  those 
cases,  and  in  numberless  others  which  swarm  in 
human  history,  the  connection  between  the  crime 
and  the  institution  made  answerable  for  it  was  in- 
finitely more  remote  than  the  duster  of  Morgan 
murder  crimes  is  from  the  vitals  of  Masonry.  But 


ON  FEEEMASONRY.  69 

1  have  spoken  only  of  tho  crimes  committed  at 
the  time.  Look  at  the  government  of  the  State  of 
iSTew  York,  struggling  in  vain  from  that  time  to 
this, — five  long  years, — to  bring  the  perpetrators  of 
the  murder  to  punishment.  See  judges,  sheriffs, 
witnesses,  jurors,  entangled  in  the  net  of  Masonry, 
and  justice  prostrated  in  her  own  temple  by  the 
touch  of  her  invisible  hand.  Several  of  the  "a6- 
ductors"  have  indeed  been  convicted,  and  among 
them  one  sheriff  of  a  county.  Three  or  four  upon 
their  own  confes:*ion  of  guilt.  You  say  you  "  have 
been  told  by  men  who  care  much  more  for  truth 
than  for  Masonry  that  there  is  no  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  any  Mason  has  refused  to  give  testimony 
on  account  of  Masonic  obligations."  My  dear  sir, 
go  to  the  records  of  the  courts.  You  will  find 
witnesses  refusing  to  testify  upon  the  express 
ground  of  Masonic  obligations,  avowing  that  they 
consider  those  obligations  paramount  to  the  laws 
of  the  land.  You  will  see  them  contumacious  to 
the  decisions  of  the  court,  fined  and  imprisoned 
for  contempt,  suffer  the  punishment  ather  than 
bear  the  testimony,  and,  instead  of  expulsion,  l)e 
refunded,  at  least  in  part,  for  their  fines  by  con- 
tributions from  the  lodges.  I  give  you  names : 
Isaac  Allen,  Eli  Bruce,  Ezekiel  Jewett,  John 
Whitney,  Orsamus  Turner,  Erastus  Day,  Sylvanus 
Cone,  Elisha  M,  Forbes,  Benjamin  Enos. 


70  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

You  will  find  much  more.  You  will  find  Ma- 
sonic grand  and  petit  juries,  summoned  by  Mason- 
ic slierifi's,  eager  to  sit  upon  the  trials,  perverting 
truth  and  justice  when  admitted  on  the  array,  and 
often  excluded  upon  challenge  to  the  favor ;  and 
last  of  all,  you  will  find  one  of  the  men  most  deep- 
ly implicated  in  the  murder,  screened  from  con- 
viction by  one  Mason  upon  his  jury. 

"  It  is  not  and  it  can  not  come  to  good." 

That  this  enormous  train  of  abuses  should  be 
sustained  by  those  who  have  it  in  abhorreuce,  and 
that  every  individual  denouncing  it  should  be 
hunted  down  as  if  he  himself  were  a  pest  to  soci- 
ety, because  Masonry  has  fastened  itself  to  the 
skirts  both  of  General  Jackson  and  Mr.  Clay,  to 
sink  or  swim  with  them,  is  itself  one  of  the  most 
objectionable  properties  of  the  institution.  Clay 
Masonry  has  become  not  only  the  familiar  denom- 
ination of  a  great  political  party,  but  of  a  party 
which,  to  put  down  a  high,  pure,  and  virtuous 
manifestation  of  popular  sensibility,  takes  to  its 
bosom  Jacksonism  itself.  So  it  was  in  all  the 
iN'ew  York  elections  of  last  ISTovember.  So  it  has 
been  in  the  elections  of  the  last  Massachusetts 
legislature.  Clay  Masons  gave  N"ew  York  to  the^ 
Regency  to  put  down  the  Antimason  Granger. 
Clay  Masons  made  a  Jackson  man  a  senator  for 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  71 

our  county  of  Plymouth  over  a  National  Repub- 
lican, with  three  hundred  more  popular  votes, 
because,  forsooth,  he  was  the  Antimasonic  and  his 
competitor  the  Masonic  candidate.  And  yet  I 
hear  Masons  complain  of  jDroscription  and  dis- 
franchisement. 

I  may,  perhaps,  publish  part  of  these  letters, 
but  without  at  all  implicating  you.  Show  them, 
if  you  please,  to  Mr.  Walsh,  as  the  moon-struck 
visions  of  your  friend. 

John  Quinct  Adams. 


TO  EDWARD  INGERSOLL.  ESQ. 

OuiNCY,  22  October,  1831. 
Dear  Sir: — One  month  has  elapsed  since,  in  an- 
swer to  some  remarks  in  a  friendly  letter  from 
you  on  the  subject  of  Masonry  and  its  antidote,  I 
gave  yon  wnth  freedom  and  candor  my  sentiments 
concerning  them,  and  a  view  of  the  progressive 
steps  by  which  I  had  been  reluctantly  drawn  into 
a  pnVjlic  participation  in  this  controversy.  I  au- 
thorized you  to  show  my  letters  to  Mr.  Walsh, 
because  having  long  been  with  me  upon  terms  of 
private  friendship  and  of  personal  confidence,  he 
had  denounced  me  to  the  public  as  a  madman 
(upon  this  subject)  for  a  letter  written  and  pub- 


72  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

lislied  in  vindication  of  my  father's  reputation 
from  Masonic  slander.  I  liad  no  expectation  of 
converting  Mr.  Walsh,  though  I  did  hope  that 
this  mode  of  noticing  the  severity  of  his  censure 
might  awaken  a  sentiment  of  kindness  in  his  mind, 
which  either  liad  departed  or  was  slumbering 
when  he  consigned  me  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
moon.  lie  since  has  made  me  more  than  amends 
by  his  notice  of  my  eulogy  upon  Mr.  Monroe, 
and,  as  I  have  always  been  a  friend  of  toleration 
in  politics  as  well  as  in  religion,  I  must  compro- 
mise for  being  considered  by  him  a  lunatic  upon 
Masonry  and  the  Hartford  Convention,  in  consid- 
eration of  an  over-allowance  of  merit  upon  points 
on  which  his  opinions  concur  with  mine. 

Within  that  month  events  in  relation. to  the 
Masonic  controversy  have  occurred  of  no  trifling 
magnitude.  That  Mr.  Walsh  and  Mr.  Sargeant 
consider  Antimasonry  as  yet  a  subject  for  scorn 
certainly  staggers  my  faith  in  the  correctness  of 
my  own  impressions.  A  wery  sincere  respect  for 
their  opinions  calls  upon  me  for  a  severe  review 
of  my  own,  and  makes  me  feel  with  double  force 
the  admonition,  in  your  kind  letter  of  the  17th 
instant,  to  be  specially  cautious  of  error  and  exag 
geration  in  anything  that  I  may  say  on  this  score 
to  the  public.  It  was  indeed  under  that  convic- 
tion that  I  submitted  to  you  interrogatively  the  list 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  73 

of  nine  atrocious  crimes  committed,  as  I  believed, 
in  connection  with  the  murder  of  William  Morgan, 
and  which  I  charged  upon  the  Masonic  institu- 
tion. If  mistaken  either  in  the  number  or  aggra- 
vation of  the  crimes,  or  in  the  principle  of  imput- 
ing them  to  the  institution,  I  was  desirous  of  be- 
ing corrected  by  your  enlightened  judgment  and 
more  accurate  information.  I.  am,  therefore,  hap- 
py to  learn  that  Mr.  Miner  will  reply  to  my  letters 
in  full.  But  he  is  the  last  man  in  the  world  with 
whom  I  would  willingly  have  a  controversy.  I 
am  perfectly  willing  to  publish  in  his  Village 
Record  that  portion  of  my  letters  to  you  which  I 
shall  ultimately  conclude  to  publish  at  all;  but 
before  that  I  wish  to  have  the  benefit  of  your  cor- 
rections as  well  in  point  of  fact  as  of  principle,  de- 
rivable from  the  inquiries  which  at  my  suggestion 
you  have  made.  I  should  also  be  glad  to  know 
if  Mr.  Miner  or  you  yourself  would  be  willing  to 
have  your  names  in  the  publication;  you,  as  the 
person  to  whom  the  letters  were  addressed ;  he,  as 
the  person  referred  to  in  them.  In  naming  him 
it  did  not  occur  to  me  that  he  would  see  the  let- 
ters ;  but  I  fully  approve  of  your  course  in  show- 
ing them  to  him,  and  also  to  the  other  persons 
whom  you  have  mentioned.  From  the  nature  of 
the  controversy,  and  precisely  because  Masonic 
warfare  is  secret,  I  have  determined  to  publish 


74  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

nothing  against  Masonry  but  under  the  respon- 
sibility of  my  name.  I  have  no  right,  however,  to 
take  the  same  liberty  with  the  names  of  others, 
and  shall  carefully  avoid  using  them  without  per- 
mission or  special  justifying  reason. 

The  nomination  of  Messrs.  Wirt  and  Ellmaker 
at  Baltimore  is  one  of  those  prominent  events 
which  have  occurred  since  my  last  letters  to  you 
were  written.  Mr.  Miner  has  sent  me  a  copy  of 
a  printed  hand-bill  addressed  to  the  citizens  of 
Chester  County,  signed  by  himself  and  seventeen 
other  Masons,  heading  a  republication  of  Mr. 
"Wirt's  letter  to  the  convention  at  Baltimore,  and 
declaring  their  concurrence  in  every  word  and 
sentiment  of  that  letter.  But  that  letter  most 
distinctly  declares  Mr.  Wirt's  approbation  both 
of  the  end  and  the  means  of  the  Antimasous ;  the 
end  being  the  abolition  of  Freemasonry,  and  the 
means  the  ballot-box  against  all  adhering  Masons 
and  all  neutrals.  What  part  of  my  charges,  then, 
does  Mr.  Miner  mean  to  contest  ? 

The  declarations  of  General  Peter  B.  Porter 
and  W.  B.  Rochester  have  also  been  made  public 
since  the  date  of  my  letters  to  jou.  What  is 
there  in  my  charges  that  is  not  fully  sanctioned 
by  them  ?  They  unequivocally  advise  the  surren- 
der of  the  charters.  They  say  Mr.  Clay  thinks 
with  them.  Why  has  Mr.  Clay  refused  to  say  so? 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  75 

Delicacy?  Has  Mr.  Clay  ever  considered  it  a 
matter  of  delicacy  for  a  candidate  to  give  pledges 
of  his  opinions  upon  controverted  points  of  polit- 
ical interest  ?  Does  Mr.  Clay  sco7ii  Autiniasonry, 
like  Mr.  Walsh  and  Mr.  Sargeant?  If  he  does, 
it  is  evident  General  P.  B.  Porter  and  W.  B. 
Rochester  do  not. 

I  am  happy  to  find  you  do  not.  Mr.  Wirt 
frankly  tells  the  Baltimore  convention  that  until 
two  or  three  days  before  they  met  he  had  consid- 
ered Antimasonry  as  a  jarce^  and  wondered  how 
such  an  excitement  should  have  been  blown  up 
from  what  he  thought  so  trifling  a  cause.  He 
scorned  Antimasonry.  Why  ?  Because  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  facts,  and  believed  Masonic  mis- 
representations. The  moment  the  facts  were  dis- 
closed to  him,  or  rather  the  moment  he  could 
bring  himself  to  turn  his  face  to  them,  the  scales 
fell  from  his  eyes, — he  approves  the  end  of  the 
Antimasons,  and  he  approves  their  means.  His 
case  is  the  case  of  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands. Yet  Mr.  Wirt  had  sworn  to  keep  the 
secrets  of  Masonry  upon  no  less  a  penalty  than 
the  fate  of  Morgan.  He  had  forgotten  the  secret, 
and  perhaps  the  oath.  How  such  a  man  as  Mr. 
Wirt  could  ever  have  taken  such  an  oath  and 
then  forgotten  it,  is  among  the  inscrutables  and 
uuaccountables  of  human  conduct 


76  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

The  Antimasons  of  tliis  commonwealth  have 
nominated  Samuel  Lathrop  for  governor  in  the 
place  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  They  first  did  me  the 
honor  to  nominate  me,  but  I  declined.  Grovernor 
Lincoln  is  my  personal  friend,  and  I  approve  of 
his  administration  in  general.  I  regretted  that 
they  did  not  nominate  him.  'Ho  answer  accept- 
ing this  nomination  has  yet  appeared  from  Mr. 
Lathrop.  Mr.  Lincoln  will  at  all  events  be  re- 
elected, for  there  is  not  a  state  in  the  Union 
where  Masonry  is  so  strong  as  in  this ;  and  the 
Masons  will  support  Lincoln,  though  his  answer 
to  the  Antimasonic  Committee  is  as  severe 
against  Masonry  as  anything  I  have  ever  said  or 
written.  But  there  was  something  in  his  remarks 
upon  Antimasonry  which  they  took  for  scorn — 
though  I  did  not.  Their  candidate  is  a  man  of 
excellent  character,  a  warm  Federalist,  and  here- 
tofore the  Federal  candidate  for  governor. 

The  State  of  Vermont  is  now  purely  Anti- 
masonic  in  all  its  branches,  with  a  governor, 
council,  and  majority  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, elected  as  Antimasons  against  both  Clay 
and  Jackson  Masonry.  Vermont  is  the  first  state 
where  this  victory  has  been  achieved.  Yet  it 
was  not  there  that  Morgan  was  murdered. 

I  shall  expect  somewhat  anxiously  your  exposi- 
tion of  facts  conflicting  with  my  statements.     I 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  77 

know  Mr.  Stoue,  of  the  'New  York  Commercial, 
believes  that  the  kidnappers  of  Morgan  did  not 
at  first  intend  to  murder  him.  Perhaps  he 
believes  that  the  arrest  of  him  for  petty  larceny 
was  not  connected  with  the  project  to  kidnap 
him.  I  know  too  well  that  he  dwells  much  upon 
the  alleged  baseness  of  Morgan's  moral  character, 
I  set  the  question  of  his  character  aside ;  but  a 
charge  of  theft  against  a  man  for  neglecting  to 
return  a  borrowed  shirt — what  chance  has  char- 
acter against  slander  like  that  ? 

Very  respectfully,  your  friend, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD,  ESQ.,  AUBURN,  N.  Y. 

Quincy,  17  October,  1831. 

Dear  Sir: — Your  letter  from  Boston  of  Septem- 
ber 15th  was  duly  received,  and  not  immediatelj'' 
answered,  chiefly  from  a  doubt  as  to  where  to  ad- 
dress a  letter  which  would  reach  you  without 
delay  at  that  time. 

The  nomination  of  candidates  for  the  next  elec- 
tion of  president  and  vice-president  of  the 
United  States  by  a  unanimous  vote,  relieved  me 
from  the  only  apprehension  I  had  previously  en- 
tertained,— that  the  convention  at  Baltimore 
would  not  be  able  to  agree  in  their  choice. 


78  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

Much  now  depends — for  the  cause  of  Antima- 
sonry,  perhaps  everything  depends — upon  the 
course  pursued  by  the  party  in  the  approaching 
elections  in  the  State  of  'New  York.  I  learn  that 
in  those  of  Pennsylvania  the  present  year  will 
indicate  rather  a  falling  off  from  the  cause, 
though  no  real  defection  of  its  supporters,  in 
this  commonwealth  the  result  may  be  the  same. 
I  shall  regret  this,  because  the  more  attentively  I 
have  observed  the  character  of  the  Masonic  in- 
stitution as  it  noiD  exists  in  the  United  States  the 
more  thoroughly  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  the 
greatest  political  evil  with  which  we  are  now 
afflicted. 

The  Antim£isons  in  this  state  have  concluded  to 
support  a  candidate  against  the  present  governor, 
much  to  my  regret.  They  did  me  the  honor  to 
nominate  me,  but  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  decline  the 
offer.  They  have  nominated  Samuel  Lathrop, 
but  it  is  doubted  whether  he  will  accept.  The 
opinions  of  the  present  governor  are  very  decid- 
edly against  Masonry,  and  the  opposition  to  him 
will  deter  many  from  joining  the  Antimasons 
who  would  otherwise  have  voted  with  them. 

I  pray  your  acceptance  of  the  within  eulogy 
upon  James  Monroe,  and  I  am. 

Very  respectfully,  dear  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  79 


TO  RICHARD  RUSH,  ESQ.,  YORK,  PENN. 
[extract.] 

QuiNCY,  25  October,  1831. 
The  Masonic  and  Antimasonic  controversj 
drags  along, — deepening,  widening,  embittering, 
as  it  proceeds.  In  proportion  as  the  popnlar  ex- 
citement against  Masonry  spreads,  the  Masons 
close  their  ranks  and  rally  round  their  hideous 
idol.  Of  the  Antimasons,  I  wish  that  the  discre- 
tion and  the  plain  dealing  and  consistency  were 
equal  to  the  goodness  of  their  cause.  I  can  not 
absolutely  say  they  arc  not ;  but  I  do  not  under- 
stand some  of  their  recent  movements,  and  must 
wait  to  see  their  consequences  before  passing 
judgment  upon  them.  It  has  been  circulated  by 
some  of  them  here,  as  it  was  stated  to  you,  that  I 
had  suggested  to  them  the  name  of  Mr.  Wirt  for 
their  nomination  at  Baltimore  ;  but  it  is  not  so.  I 
much  prefer  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Wirt  to  that 
of  Mr.  McLean,  which  I  fully  expected  ;  but  of 
the  proceedings  at  Baltimore  there  are  rumors 
circulated  by  the  Masonic  party  which  I  hope  are 
without  foundation.  It  is  said,  among  other 
things,  that  the  convention  was  as  equally 
divided  between  Mr.  Wirt  and  Mr.  McLean  as 


80  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

forty-one  to  thirty-eight,  aud  that  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  the  party  will  sustain  the  Dom- 
ination of  their  convention.  Here  an  Antiraa- 
Bonic  convention  did  me  the  honor  to  nominate 
me  for  the  office  of  governor  of  this  common- 
wealth, but  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  decline  the 
nomination.  They  tlieu  nominated  Samuel 
Lathrop,  a  very  worthy  man,  but  it  is  said 
that  without  declining  their  nomination,  he  has 
answered  that  he  is  and  will  be  a  strong  sup- 
porter of  Mr.  Clay  for  the  presidency.  They 
have  not  yet  published  either  my  answer  or  Mr. 
Lathrop's. 

About  a  month  since,  Edward  IngersoU  made 
in  a  letter  to  me  some  remarks  upon  this  contro- 
versy, in  answer  to  which  I  wrote  him  three 
letters,  part  of  which  I  informed  him  I  might 
probably  publish.  I  charged  in  the  form  of  in- 
terrogations niiie  specific  atrocious  crimes  in  the 
transactions  connected  with  the  murder  of  Wil- 
liam Morgan,  independent  of  all  the  subsequent 
judicial  prevarications,  contumacies,  and  per- 
juries. I  charged  them  not  upon  all  individual 
Masons,  but  upon  the  Masonic  institution, — upon 
its  oaihSj  penalties,  and  secrets ;  and  I  asked  him  if 
my  list  of  crimes  were  overcharged  in  number  or 
measure  to  reduce  them  to  the  standard  of  truth ; 
and  if  they  were  not  chargeable  upon  3Iasonry, 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  81 

to  answer  the  reasons  which  I  gave  him  for  so 
considering   them.      Mr.   Ingersoll,   who   avows 
himself  Anti masonic  in  principle  and  feeling,  has 
shown  my  letters  to  several   persons,  and  among 
the  rest  to  our  friend  Miner,  who  I  understand; 
has  undertaken  to  reply  to  my  letters  in  full.     I 
learn   further   that    your  grand  lodge  or  grand 
chapter  are  about  to  enter  upon  the  arena  and 
make  a  powerful  defense  of  Masonry.    A  princi- 
pal object  of  my  letters  to  Ingersoll  was  to  bring 
out  the  Masons  upon  the  Morgan-murder  crimes  ' 
Their  tactics  hitherto  have  been  to  smuggle  them 
out  of  sight.     Sheppard's  Defense  speaks  of  the 
murder  itself  as  doubtful,  and  styles  it  as  a  mere 
drunken  scrape  at  which  Masons  were  jpresent.     The 
formal  defense  of  Masonry  by  the  grand  lodge  of 
Rhode  Island  says  they  can  not  tell  whether  Mor- 
gan was  or  was  not  murdered,  for  that  they  knoio 
nothing  about   it.     So   effectually  have   they,  by 
their  management  of  the  press,  kept  those  trans- 
actions out  of  view  that  thousands  and  thousands, 
like   Mr.   Wirt,  have   gone   on  year   after  year 
scorning  and  laughing  at  Antimasonry  as  a  farce, 
and  thinking  Masonry  a  Sir   Roger  de  Coverly 
Club,  because  they  could  not  look  at  the  facts.    My 
interrogatory  specification  of  an  Anti-Parnassus 
of  crimes  was  intended  to  bring  the  Masons  to  an 
issue  upon  the  fact  and  law,  fairly  out  before  the 


82  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

tribunal  of  the  public.  I  have  promised  that  if  I 
do  publish  aay  part  of  my  letters  to  Ingersoll 
they  shall  first  appear  in  Mr.  Miner's  Village 
Hecord.  Miner  himself  will  reply  to  them,  and 
between  him  and  me  I  shall  be  content  to  stand 
alone;  but  if  the  grand  lodge  or  grand  chapter 
of  Pennsylvania  come  down  upon  me,  especially 
during  the  session  of  congress,  I  shall  want 
auxiliary  force,  and  hope  you  will  be  in  the  field 
again. 

Vermont  is  now  completely  Antimasonic,  be- 
cause, from  their  proximity  to  the  Morgan  mur- 
der, the  facts  have  forced  themselves  upon  the 
public  eye  in  spite  of  all  Masonic  suppressions. 
The  letters  of  General  Peter  B.  Porter  and  W.  B. 
Rochester  give  a  foreboding  of  the  prospects  of 
the  New  York  elections  now  at  hand.  There  is 
danger  of  a  falling  off  in  this  state,  owing  to  the 
Antimasonic  nomination  against  Governor  Lin- 
coln 

Ever  faithfully  yours, 

John   Quinct  Adams. 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  83 


TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY,  LEVI  LINCOLN,  GOVERNOR 
OF   MASSACHUSETTS. 

[extract.] 

Washington,  r8  December,  1831 
My  Dear  Sir : — I  can  not  forbear  immediately 
to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  two  kind 
letters  of  the  11th  and  12th  instants,  although  a 
heavy  and  quite  unexpected  burden  of  occupa- 
tion, imposed  upon  me  by  the  duties  of  the 
station  in  which  I  fear  I  have  rashly  permitted 
myself  to  be  placed,  will  deprive  me  of  the 
opportunity  of  which  I  did  propose  to  avail  my- 
self of  communicating  with  you  upon  one  topic 
especially  of  transcendent  interest  to  my  mind. 
I  mean  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  institution 
of  Freemasonry  in  these  United  States. 

The  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States  has  thought  proper  to  ap- 
pjoint  me  chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Manu- 
factures,— a  station  from  which  I  have  in  vain 
endeavored  to  obtain  a  release.  It  will  leave  me 
little  time  for  anything  else,  and  particularly  not 
for  the  review,  which  it  was  my  purpose  to 
take  of  the  Masonic  controversy  now  in  prog- 
ress  in  our  own  and  the  neighboring  states,  and 


84  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

which  I  believe  destined  to  produce  consequences 
deeply  affecting  the  interests,  the  happiness,  and 
the  liberties  of  our  country. 

The  design  must  for  the  present  be  postponed, 
and  perhaps  my  undertaking  would,  at  all  events, 
have  been  premature.  It  is  now  a  little  more 
than  five  years  since  the  true  character  of  Free- 
masonry ^  as  existing  in  this  Union,  was  disclosed 
to  the  public  eye.  It  first  exploded  by  the  catas- 
trophe of  one  of  the  deepest  tragedies  that  ever 
was  enacted  upon  the  scene  of  human  being, 
exploded  by  a  Complication  of  nine  or  ten  of  the 
most  atrocious  crimes  that  ever  were  conceived  in 
human  hearts  or  committed  by  human  hands, — 
crimes  committed  not  by  men  in  the  stations  of 
life  to  which  ignorance  is  a  snare,  intemperance  a 
stimulant,  or  indigence  a  temptation, — not  by 
men  under  the  instigations  of  malice  or  re- 
venge,— ^but  by  men  in  the  educated  classes  of 
society;  men  who  had  been  instructed  in  the 
duties  of  Christians  and  citizens ;  men  above  the 
pressure  of  want;  men,  in  other  respects  and 
independent  of  their  secret  and  mystical  ties  to 
this  institution,  of  fair  and  respectable  lives; 
men  enjoying  the  confidence  of  their  fellow-citi- 
zens, and  holding  offices  of  trust  committed  to 
them  by  that  confidence. 

We  see  these  men,  not  in  the  solitary  depravity 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  85 

of  a  single  heart,  but  after  repeated  consultation 
in  lodges  and  chapters,  combined,  and  for  the 
commission  of  more  than  one  of  the  crimes, 
abusing  the  sacred  authority  of  the  law  with 
which  they  had  been  invested  for  the  furtherance 
and  execution  of  justice,  to  the  commission  of 
swindling,  slander,  theft,  false  imprisonment, 
man-stealing,  treachery,  arson,  transportation  of 
a  citizen  beyond  the  limits  of  his  country,  and  to 
close  the  catalogue, /ow?  and  midnight  murder. 

Such  was  the  first  disclosure  of  the  secrets  of 
Freemasonry, — such  was  the  practical  exposition 
of  its  laws.  The  laws  themselves  were  afterward 
revealed.  It  was  to  prevent  the  revelation  of 
them  that  all  these  crimes  were  committed,  and, 
by  the  retributive  justice  of  Providence,  it  was 
the  very  commission  of  the  crimes  which  brought 
the  laws  to  light. 

It  is  not  then  to  Freemasonry  as  a  secret  society, 
of  mysteriously  concerted  operation  and  por- 
tentous power ;  of  strangely  mingled  royal  and 
priestly  titles  with  fantastical  fooleries  of  attire 
and  pageantry;  of  ostentatious  devotion  and 
hidden  carousals;  of  charity  and  of  revelry  in 
the  proportion  of  Sir  John  Falstafif's  tavern  bill 
for  bread  and  for  sack, — it  is  not  to  this  society, 
such  as  it  was  before  the  murder  of  William  Mor- 
gan, that  I  intended  to  entreat  your  attention  as 


86  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

a  citizen,  a  Christian,  a  magistrate,  and  a  man. 
Preemasonry,  as  known  to  the  world  before  the 
commission  of  the  Morgan-murder  crimes,  might 
not  be  worthy  of  your  attention.  From  the  time 
when  the  crimes  were  committed,  and  the  laws  by 
which  they  were  committed  were  revealed,  that  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States  should  exist,,  who 
can  ask  himself,  "  What  is  this  to  me  ?  "  is  as  un- 
accountable as  the  fascinations  of  Freemasonry 
itself. 

But  the  disclosure  of  the  crimes  and  the  dis- 
closure of  the  laws  were  not  enough.  Five  years 
has  the  government  of  New  York  been  strug- 
gling, not  as  it  ought  instantly  to  have  done, 
to  strangle  this  hydra  with  unnumbered  heads, 
but  to  execute  upon  the  criminals  a  feeble  and 
inefiectual  justice;  five  years,  in  the  face  of  this 
nation,  have  Masonic  sheriffs,  jurors,  and  wit- 
nesses betrayed  their  duty  to  their  country  and 
their  God,  to  screen  the  guilty  from  punishment ; 
five  years  have  lodges,  chapters,  and  encamp- 
ments aided  and  abetted  in  the  concealment  of 
the  crimes  and  in  the  escape  of  the  criminals 
from  justice,  while  a  gang  of  two  hundred  thou- 
sand Masons,  from  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
Union,  are  joining  in  one  concerted  yell  of  per- 
secution !  persecution  !  and  certifying  and  swear- 
ing that  they  never  took  an   oath  incompatible 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  87 

with  their  duty  to  their  religion  or  the  laws  of 
the  land.  "  In  generalihus  latet  dolus"  was  the 
maxim  of  the  old  logicians.  The  denial  of  the 
Royal  Arch  oath  is  a  miserable  prevarication. 
The  Entered  Apprentice's  oath  and  penalty  is 
itself  a  violation  of  all  religion  and  of  the  con- 
stitution of  our  commonwealth.  To  say  that 
such  an  oath  is  not  to  affect  religion  or  politics, 
is  to  unite  impossibilities.  It  is  to  take  a  fire- 
brand in  the  hand,  by  thinking  of  the  frosty 
Caucasus.  The  four  Royal  Arch  Masons  who 
sunk  Morgan's  body  in  the  Niagara  River  inflict- 
ed upon  him  the  penalty  of  the  Entered  Appren- 
tice's oath.  Their  names  are  known  probably  to 
every  lodge  in  the  State  of  New  York,  but  they 
can  not  be  convicted,  for  none  will  testify,  and  the 
grand  chapter  at  New  York  which  has  tlie 
power  of  expulsion  throughout  the  state,  so  far 
from  expelling  any  one  of  the  kidnappers  or  mur- 
derers of  Morgan,  has  aided  them  with  money  to 
support  them  in  prison  and  to  pay  their  fines. 
But  I  must  abridge  this  letter.  From  the  com- 
bined consideration  of  these  three  elements, — 

1.  The  practical  disclosure  of  the  character 
and  laws  of  Masonry  by  the  Morgan-murder 
crimes. 

2.  From  the  subsequent  disclosure  of  its  writ- 
ten laws,  oaths,  and  penalties  in  literal  conformity 


88  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

and  obedieuce,  to  which  these  crimes  were  com- 
mitted. 

3.  From  the  struggle  of  five  years'  duration 
between  the  government  of  New  York  to  bring 
these  crimes  to  punishment,  and  the  successful 
Masonic  combination  to  defeat  the  law  of  the 
land  and  to  screen  the  guilty  from  its  power. 

From  these  combined  considerations  there 
appear  to  me  to  result  solemn  and  sacred  duties 
to  every  citizen  of  the  Union,  and  especially  to 
every  citizen  invested  with  authority.  It  was 
therefore  that  I  commenced  this  correspondence 
by  the  inquiry  whether  you  were  acquainted  with 
the  facts.  They  are  known  to  few.  I  find  by 
your  answer  that  some  of  them,  not  important, 
are  still  unknown  to  you.  The  extent  of  the 
combination,  preceding  the  murder  of  Morgan,  is 
even  now  known  only  to  the  surviving  accom- 
plices in  the  guilt.  Of  the  four  immediate  per- 
petrators of  the  murder,  one  may  yet  reveal  the 
horrid  tale,  the  minute  particulars  of  which  are 
known  to  many  worthy  brothers  of  the  craft. 
Much  of  Masonic  participation,  both  before  and 
after  the  fact,  will  probably  never  be  known 
abroad  from  the  recesses  of  the  lodge.  With 
these  observations  I  have  mingled  no  reference 
whatever  to  the  Antimasonic  party,  their  pro- 
ceedings  or  their  leaders.     I  look  only  to  their 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  89 

cause;  and  if  that  is  under  bad  management,  I 
can  only  express  the  hope  that  it  may  be  more 
energetically  taken  into  their  own  hands  by  the 
virtuous  and  the  wise. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  dear  sir, 
Your  friend  and  servant, 

John  Quinct  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM    L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

Washington,  24  December,  1831. 
Dear  Sir: — The  British   acts  to  parliament,  to 
which  I  referred  in  our  conversation  the  other 
evening,  are  two, — 

1.  Statute  37  George  3d,  ch.  123,  (19th  July, 
1797,)  making  the  administration  of  unlawful 
oaths  felony,  punishable  by  transportation  for 
seven  years. 

2.  Statute  39  George  3d,  ch.  79,  for  the  sup- 
pression of  seditious  societies  (12  July,  1799). 

The  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  sections  of  this 
last  statute  except  from  its  penalties,  under 
very  rigorous  restrictions  of  police,  the  lodges  of 
Freemasons  as  they  have  long  been  usually  held  in 
Great  Britain;  but  not  chapters  or  encampments. 
From  Professor  Robinson's  book,  and  other 
sources,  I  have   been  informed  that  the  lodges 


90  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

usually  held  in  Great  Britain  never  confer 
beyond  the  first  three  degrees  in  Masonry,  and 
content  themselves  with  avenging  the  murder  of 
Hiram  Abiff  by  those  historical  personages, 
Jubela,  Jubelo,  and  Jubelum.  I  sought  you  yes- 
terday immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the 
House,  in,  the  library  of  congress,  and  afterward 
at  Gadsby's  without  success.  It  was  to  give  you 
the  above  information  concerning  the  British 
statutes,  and  to  ask  the  favor  of  your  company 
to  dine  with  me  to-morrow,  Christmas  day,  at  five 
o'clock.  Let  me  expect  you,  and  believe  me  your 
assured  friend. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  ESQ.,  NEW  YORK. 

Washington,  30  June,  1832. 
Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  your  kind  letter  and 
the  elegant  volume  which  you  have  done  me  the 
honor  of  addressing  to  me  on  the  subject  of  Ma- 
sonry and  Antimasonry.  Anticipating  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days  a  release  from  occupations 
which  deprive  me  at  this  moment  of  the  power 
of  perusing  your  work  with  the  deep  attention 
which  the  importance  of  the  subject  requires,  I 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  91 

shall  avail  myself  of  tlie  first  hours  at  my  disposal 
to  devote  them  to  that  purpose.  In  the  meau 
time  I  cherish  the  hope  that  the  influence  of  this 
comprehensive  and  impartial  survey  of  the  Ma- 
sonic institutions  upon  the  public  mind,  will  con- 
tribute to  induce  the  voluntary  abandonment  or 
renunciation  of  it,  which  I  have  lon^  thought, 
and  more  firmly  believe  from  day  to  day,  to  be 
desirable  for  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  commu- 
nity. 
I  am,  with  great  respect  and  esteem,  dear  sir. 
Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

JouN  QuiNCY  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM    L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

OuiNCY,  19  August,  1832. 
Dear  Sir: — On  receiving  at  Washington  the 
volume  of  Letters  upon  Masonry  and  Antima- 
sonry,  which  you  did  me  the  honor  of  addressing 
to  me,  I  wrote  you  a  few  lines  of  acknowledg- 
ment, with  the  assurance  of  my  intention  to  read 
with  deep  attention  the  work,  to  the  composition 
and  publication  of  which  I  felt  great  satisfaciion 
in  believing  that  I  had  contributed  to  give  occa- 
sion. I  have  accordingly  perused  it  with  the 
most  earnest  solicitude,  and  the  result  has  been 


92  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

f 

not  only  a  confirmed  conviction  that  the  institu- 
tion of  Freemasonry  ought  in  these  United  States 
to  be  totally  and  forever  abolished,  but  that  this 
event  is  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished. 

In  the  three  letters  which  I  wrote  about  a  year 
since  to  a  friend  in  Philadelphia,  and  which  were 
submitted  to  your  perusal,  I  presented  in  the  form 
of  interrogation  a  list  of  nine  atrocious  crimes 
under  the  denomination  of  Morgan  -  Murder 
Crimes^  with  the  inquiry  whether  they  had  not 
been  so  committed  as  in  a  great  degree  to  have 
lost  the  character  of  individual  guilt  in  their  per- 
petrators and  to  have  assumed  that  of  associate 
or  corporate  offenses;  as  conspiracies,  in  which 
numerous  bodies  of  men  constituting  lodges, 
chapters,  and  encampments  of  Freemasons  were 
implicated;  and  inquiring  further,  whether  the 
commission  of  those  crimes  had  not  been  pre- 
viously instigated  by  the  oaths  administered,  the 
obligations  imposed,  and  the  penalties  impre- 
cated or  denounced,  in  the  ordinary  forms  of  the 
admission  of  candidates  to  the  numerously  grad- 
uated hierarchy  of  Freemasonry. 

That  these  crimes  had  been  committed, — that 
the  efficient  impulse  to  the  commission  of  them 
had  been  the  Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and  pen- 
alties,— and  that  they  were  corporate  crimes  con- 
ceived, projected,  and  matured  for  action  in  the 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  93 

Masonic  deliberative  bodies  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  I  firmly  believe  from 
a  mass  of  irresistible  evidence,  which  had  been 
growing  into  certainty  for  a  series  of  years.  On 
the  other  hand,  many  of  the  most  important  facts, 
both  in  relation  to  the  commission  of  the  crimes 
and  to  the  purport  ot  the  Masonic  oaths  and 
obligations,  had  been  vehemently  contested.  A 
considerable  number  of  seceders  from  Masonry 
had  revealed  all  the  secrets  of  all  the  degrees, 
and  all  the  oaths,  and  obligations,  and  penalties, 
as  established  in  the  lodges,  chapters,  and  encamp- 
ments in  all  the  region  round  where  the  murder 
had  been  perpetrated.  The  books  of  David  Ber- 
nard and  Avery  Allyn,  both  seceding  Knights 
Templars,  had  been  published.  Bernard  had  been 
admitted  to  the  ineffable  degrees  in  IsTew  York, 
Allyn  at  New  Haven  in  Connecticut.  The  Rev. 
Moses  Thatcher  and  Pliny  Merrick  had  declared 
that  the  Royal  Arch  oath  was  in  many  lodges  in 
Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts  administered 
with  the  words,  "  murder  and  treason  not  except- 
ed." That  it  was  so  administered  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  had  been  testimony  extorted  and 
most  reluctantly  given  upon  oath  by  Royal  Arch 
Masons  upon  trials  before  courts  of  justice, — and 
yet  adhering  Masons  were  solemnly  declaring 
that  they  had  taken    no   such   oaths  j    that  they 


94  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

acknowledged  no  obligation  incompatible  with 
the  laws  of  God  or  of  the  land;  that  the  only 
penalty  ever  inflicted  was  expulsion;  and  that 
they  did  not  believe  the  oaths  and  obligations  were 
otherwise  understood  by  Masons  everywhere. 

In  the  controversial  conditions  of  the  facts  upon 
the  issue  which  seemed  to  have  been  made  up 
between  the  adhering  and  the  seceding  Masons,  I 
had  preferred  stating  them  to  our  friend  at  Phil- 
adelphia in  the  form  of  interrogation  rather  than 
to  assume  them  as  granted.  He  was  a  Mason, 
inclining  to  Antimasonry,  but  unwilling  to  join 
its  political  standard.  He  knew  little  of  what 
had  taken  place  in  the  western  counties  of  the 
State  of  Kew  York,  and  had  been  made  to  dis- 
believe the  most  prominent  facts  of  the  tale  of 
horror  connected  with  the  fate  of  Morgan.  I  was 
desirous,  if  possible,  to  keep  myself  entirely  dis- 
entangled from  all  the  politics  of  Antimasonry ; 
but  this  was  becoming  exceedingly  difl&cult.  *  I 
wished  for  a  more  perfect  exposition  of  facts  from 
a  source  fully  informed,* — from  a  person  in  whose 
candor  and  integrity  I  could  place  entire  reliance, 
and  not  so  connected  with  either  of  the  parties  asi 
to  be  under  a  bias  disqualifying  to  the  perception 
or  to  the  judiciary  faculty.  I  was  well  assured 
that  I  should  find  this  in  your  book,  and  I  have 
not  been  disappointed.    The  book  is  marked  with 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  95 

integrity  and  candor,  which  not  even  the  fifth 
libation  has  been  able  to  prevent. 

There  is  a  lingering  attachment  to  the  institu- 
tion, as  it  had  been  in  better  days, — like  the  aflec- 
tion  of  a  parent  discovering  in  bitterness  of  soul 
the  profligacy  of  a  favorite  child, — which  adds  a 
double  seal  of  confirmation  to  the  disclosures 
which  you  have  had  the  intrepidity  to  make  and 
to  sustain.  There  are  many  things  in  the  volume 
which  I  do  not  see  as  you  do;  but  the  sincerity 
of  your  own  conviction  of  the  truth  of  all  that 
you  affirm  is  apparent  in  every  page.  I  speak  of 
the  intrepidity  of  your  disclosures,  because  I  have 
not  dissembled  to  myself  the  peculiar  position  in 
which  you  stand  toward  the  institution,  both  as  a 
man  and  as  a  member  of  a  responsible  profession. 
I  see  you  as  neither  an  adhering  nor  a  seceding 
Mason.  I  think  I  perceive  the  conflict  in  your 
own  mind  between  the  obligation  of  Masonry 
which  you  had  taken  upon  you  and  the  duties  of 
your  profession  as  the  editor  of  a  public  journal — 
duties  to  a  community  at  large,  which  you  had 
resolved  never  to  compromise  or  to  betray.  I 
think  I  see  that  when  you  took  the  oaths  of  the 
Entered  Apprentice,  the  Master  Mason,  the  Royal 
Arch,  and  the  Knights  Templars,  you  little  imag- 
ined the  temptations,  the  trials,  and  the  dangers 
into  which  they  were  to  lead  you  by  their  conflict 


96  LETTERS   AI^D   OPINIONS 

witli  your  duties  as  a  man,  a  Christian,  and  a  citi* 
zen,  You  seem  scarcely  to  be  aware  even  now 
that  the  trials  through  which  you  are  passing 
originated  there.  You  are  unwilling  to  acknowl- 
edge it  to  yourself.  But  the  trials  are  around 
you.  You  have  betrayed  no  Masonic  secret.  You 
have  forfeited  no  obligations  of  your  own.  But 
you  have  justly  concluded  that  of  what  had  been 
divulged  by  others  it  would  be  absurd  to  make 
longer  a  secret,  and  dishonest  to  deny  it  as  false. 
Yet  you  are  in  the  midst  of  brother  Masons, — 
men  whom  you  respect  and  esteem,  who  still 
hold  themselves  bound  by  the  ties  which  you  con- 
sider as  dissolved,  who  still  tyle  the  lodge  and 
swear  the  candidates,  upon  horrible  penalties,  to 
keep  secrets  now  as  common  as  the  stairs  that 
mount  the  capitol.  These  men  look  upon  you  as 
an  unworthy  brother,  even  if  they  have  not  dared 
to  expel  you.  How  will  these  men  tolerate  your 
exposure  of  the  contrast  between  the  public  proc- 
lamation and  the  secret  appropriation  of  the 
Grand  Koyal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  at  which  upward  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
subordinate  chapters  were  represented  in  February, 
1829,  as  detailed  in  your  twenty-first  letter  ?  How 
will  they  endure  your  confirmation  of  the  essen- 
tial facts  in  Avery  Allyn's  affidavit,  that  Richard 
Howard  had  confessed  himself  the  executioner  of. 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  97 

Morgan ;  that  he  made  this  confession  at  an 
encampment  of  Knights  Templars  at  St.  John's 
Hall,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  under  the  sealed 
obligation,  and  had  then  been  furnished  with 
money  and  means  to  abscond  and  go  to  Europe, 
as  related  in  your  twenty-second  letter?  How 
will  they  bear  the  twenty-fifth  letter  ?  the 
account  of  the  unblushing  grant  of  money  by  the 
grand  lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York  to  one 
of  the  most  active  conspirators  ?  of  the  debates 
in  which  you  bore  a  part  ?  and  of  the  appropria- 
tion, since  which  you  have  never  crossed  the 
threshold  of  a  lodge-room?  You  are  still  sur- 
rounded by  members  of  the  grand  lodge,  of  the 
grand  chapter,  and  of  the  encampment  at  St. 
John's  Hall.  And  although  perhaps  you  may 
receive  no  more  i^etters  from  Washington  like 
that  of  the  25th  of  February,  1827,  there  are 
other  modes  of  hostility  in  which  we  well  know 
that  the  Masonic  power  can  make  itself  felt. 

But  if  the  boldness  with  which  you  have  duied 
to  speak  is  nc^  without  its  perils  now,  neither  will 
it,  I  trust,  be  without  its  remembrance  or  its 
recompense  hereafter.  I  believe  your  letters  to 
be  well  adapted  to  promote  a  great  national 
reform  of  morals  in  the  abolition  ot  Freemasonry ; 
and  the  more  extensively  they  are  r-ead  the  more 
beneficial  will  be  their  effect. 


98  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

This  letter  is  confidential,  and  if  satisfactory  to 
you  may  be  followed  by  others  suggested  by  the 
information  contained  in  your  book,  and  perhaps 
discussing  some  of  your  opinions.  The  Masonic 
controversy  will  form  a  large  chapter  in  the 
annals  of  this  Union  probably  for  several  years  to 
come.  It  presents  already  a  prominent  feature 
in  the  canvass  for  the  presidential  election,  and 
that  is  precisely  the  reason  for  wishing  to  meddle 
as  little  with  it  as  possible  until  that  question 
shall  have  been  settled.  It  will  assuredly  survive 
that  event,  and  in  all  probability  will  form  an 
essential  ingredient  in  more  than  one  quadrennial 
choice  of  president,  if  more  than  one  we  are 
destined  to  have.  It  is  my  deliberate  opinion  that 
the  Antimasouic  party  ought  not  to  subside,  or  to 
suspend  its  exertions,  till  Freemasonry  shall  have 
ceased  to  exist  in  this  country.  The  career  before 
them  is  long  and  dreary,  but  not  discouraging; 
the  object  is  single,  just,  and  honorable.  You 
have  put  your  hand  to  the  plow.  Let  it  not  be 
withdrawn.  For  contributing  so  largely  to  the 
end  you  will  deserve  to  be  ranked  among  the 
benefactors  of  mankind. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  friend, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


ON  FREEMASONKY.  99 


V  TO  WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

QuiNCY,  25  August,  1832. 

Dear  Sir: — lu  my  last  letter  I  observed,  with 
the  freedom  and  candor  which  I  thought  due  to 
you  as  the  best  return  I  could  make  for  the  honor 
and.  obligation  you  had  conferred  upon  me  by 
addressing  to  me  your  letters  upon  Masonry  and 
Antimasonry,  that  there  were  many  things  in 
the  book  which  I  did  not  see  as  you  did. 

Some  further  explanation  is  due  from  me  upon 
the  subject.  The  principal  objects  of  your  book 
were  two.  First,  to  vindicate  the  character  of  an 
eminent  and  illustrious  citizen  of  K"ew  York,  the 
late  governor  of  the  state,  Be  Witt  Clinton,  from 
the  opprobrium  cast  upon  him,  of  having  been 
personally  and  deeply  concerned  in  the  murder 
of  Morgan ;  and,  secondly,  to  prove,  by  a  fair 
and  impartial  statement  of  the  abuses  to  which 
the  Masonic  institutions  have  been  perverted,  that 
they  Ought  to  be  voluntarily  surrendered  and 
abolished. 

These  objects  were  just  and  laudable.  They 
are  in  your  volume  faithfully  perused ;  nor  is 
there  in  the  execution  of  your  plan  anything  in 
the  letters  unsuited  or  redundant.     You  observe, 


100  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

in  the  first  letter,  that  it  is  no  part  of  your  design 
to  write  a  vindication  of  Freemasonry  as  such, 
but  to  describe  Freemasonry  as  you  received, 
understood,  and  practiced  it  yourself,  and  as  it 
has  been  received,  understood,  and  practiced  by 
hundreds  of  virtuous  and  intelligent  men,  with 
whom  you  have  associated  in  the  lodge-room.  To 
this,  the  first  ten  letters  are  devoted,  and  they  are 
in  my  estimation  not  less  valuable  than  those 
which  succeed  them.  But  as  Bishop  Watson 
wrote  an  apology  for  the  Bible,  I  trust  you  will 
not  consider  me  as  intending  any  disparagement 
to  that  part  of  your  work,  if  I  consider  it  in  the 
light  of  an  apology  for  Freemasonry,  as  received, 
understood,  and  practiced  by  yourself  and  many 
others.  In  that  light  it  is  exceedingly  well 
adapted  to  its  purpose.  It  is  the  only  rational 
jplea  for  the  institution  that  I  have  seen  since  this 
controversy  began,  for  all  the  other  defenses  of 
the  handmaid,  which  have  come  to  my  knowl- 
edge, have  smacked  too  much  of  the  obligation 
to  come  to  the  aid  of  a  distressed  brother  and 
extricate  him  from  his  difficulties  right  or  wrong, 
to  pass  for  anything  other  than  aggravations  of 
the  Morgan-murder  crimes. 

You  have  taken  all  the  degrees  to,  and 
including  that  of,  the  Knight  Templar.  The 
oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties,  as  administered 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  101 

to  and  understood  by  you,  contained  nothing 
incompatible  with  your  dutiea  to  your  country 
and  your  kind.  Whatever  there  might  be  in 
them,  apparently  incongruous  with  the  prior  and 
paramount  duties  of  the  citizen  and  Christian, 
was  explained  and  given  in  charge  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  be  made  entirely  subordinate  to  them. 
The  obligations,  as  understood  by  you,  are  all 
auxiliaries  to  Christian  benevolence  and  patriot- 
ism, and  so  they  are  undoubtedly  understood  by 
great  multitudes  of  Masons  in  all  parts  of  the 
United  States.  That  they  are  otherwise  under- 
stood, also,  by  multitudes  of  the  worthy  brethren 
of  the  craft  (worthy  according  to  the  Masonic 
meaning  of  the  word)  is  apparent  in  every  page 
of  your  book. 

In  your  third  letter,  page  23,  you  allude  to  an 
opinion  which  I  once  expressed  to  you  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms  :  "  You,  sir,  have  assured  me  that 
the  obligations  supposed  to  be  administered  in 
conferring  the  first  degree  is  quite  enough  in  your 
view  to  establish  the  wicked  character  of  the 
institution." 

"Whether  I  did  make  use  of  terms  quite  so 
strong  in  the  freedom  of  unrestrained  conversa- 
tion, or  whether  your  reference  to  it  is  by 
inference  of  your  own,  from  words  not  quite  so 
comprehensive,  is  not  material.      The  sentiment 


102  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

whicli  I  do  recollect  to  have  expressed,  and  which 
is  rooted  in  my  conviction,  was,  "  that  the  Enter- 
ed Apprentice's  oath,  obligation,  and  annexed 
penalty,  was  in  itself  vicious,  and  such  as  ought 
never  to  be  administered  by  man  to  man ; "  that 
no  explanation  of  it  could  take  away  its  essen- 
tially immoral  character,  and  that  the  institution 
of  Freemasonry,  requiring  absolutely  the  admin- 
istration of  it  to  every  candidate  for  admission, 
necessarily  shared  in  its  immorality. 

In  saying  this,  I  disclaim  all  intention  of  cen- 
sure upon  any  individual  who  has  ever  taken  this 
oath.  I  consider  it  according  to  its  own  import — 
stripped  of  all  warrant  of  authority  from  the 
great  names  of  illustrious  men  who  may  have 
taken  it. 

My  objections  to  it  are  these : 

1.  That  it  is  an  extrajudicial  oath,  and,  as  such, 
contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  land. 

2.  That  it  is  a  violation  of  the  precept  of  Jesus 
Christ — swear  not  at  all, 

3.  That  this  oath  pledges  the  candidate,  in  the 
name  of  God,  that  he  will  always  hail,  forever 
conceal,  and  never  reveal  any  of  the  secret  arts, 
parts,  or  points  of  the  mysteries  "  of  Freemasonry,  to 
any  person  under  the  canopy  of  heaven,  except  it 
shall  be  to  a  true  and  lawful  Mason,  or  within  the 
body  of  a  just  and  regular  lodge  of  such,  and  not 


ox  FREEMASONRY.  103 

unto  him  or  them  until  after  due  trial,  strict 
examination,  or  by  the  lawful  information  of  a 
brother,  I  shall  have  found  him  or  them  as  justly 
and  lawfully  entitled  to  the  same  as  I  am  myself." 

The  arts,  parts,  points,  and  mysteries  of  Ma- 
sonry are  afterward,  in  the  oath,  denominated 
the  secrets  of  the  craft.  These  are  general  and 
indefinite  terms.  The  candidate,  when  he  takes 
the  oath,  is  kept  in  total  ignorance  of  what  these 
secrets  of  the  craft  consist.  He  knows  not  the  nature 
nor  extent  of  the  oath  that  he  takes.  He  is  sworn 
to  keep  secret  he  knows  not  what.  The  general 
assurance  that  it  is  not  to  affect  his  religion  or 
politics  is  the  mere  word  of  another  man.  The 
assurance  that  it  is  not  to  interfere  with  any  of 
his  duties  is  but  a  mockery,  when  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  oath  itself  is  a  violation  of  law. 

He  swears  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  the  craft  to 
uo  person  under  the  canopy  of  heaven,  except  to 
a  brother  Mason,  or  a  lodge.  The  single  excep- 
tion expressed  is  an  exclusion  of  all  others.  There 
is  no  exception  for  the  authority  of  law,  or  for 
the  confession  enjoined  upon  the  Catholic  breth- 
ren by  their  religion.  I  use  this  illustration  to 
show  that  the  intrinsic  import  of  the  oath  is 
uicompatible  with  law,  civil  and  religious. 

Now  what  these  secrets  of  the  craft  are  to  the 
keeping  of  which  the  candidate,  thus  ignorant  of 


104  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

their  import,  is  sworn,  is  never  defined.  They 
are  differently  understood  by  different  Masons. 
The  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  themselves 
have,  until  very  recently,  been  understood,  I 
believe,  universally  to  form  a  part  of  these  secrets. 
Those  of  the  first  three  degrees  were  first  revealed 
by  the  publication  of  Morgan's  book ;  those  of 
the  subsequent  degrees,  to  that  of  the  thrice  illus- 
trious order  of  the  cross,  were  divulged  by  the 
convention  of  the  seceding  Masons  at  Le  Roy,  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1828.  Those  in  Morgan's  book  I 
understand  to  be  admitted  on  all  hands  to  be  cor- 
rect. But  with  regard  to  the  obligation  of  the 
Red  Cross  Knights  and  the  Templars,  as  disclosed 
by  that  convention,  you  say  that,  although  you 
have  received  those  degrees  and  assisted  in  con- 
ferring them,  you  know  of  no  such  obligations  in 
any  of  the  degrees.  Your  impression  is  that  they 
must  have  been  devised  westward  of  Albany  and 
imposed  upon  candidates  without  the  sanction  of 
any  governing  body.  You  do  not  question  the 
correctness  of  the  publication  of  these  degrees  by 
the  convention  of  seceding  Masons.  You  are 
authorized  to  state  that  when  the  forms  of  those 
oV>ligatiotis  were  received  in  the  city,  measures 
were  taken  by  the  grand  encampment  to  ascer- 
tain whether  any  encampment  under  its  jurisdic- 
tion  had,   in   fact,  ever   administered  any   such 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  105 

obligations,  and  if  bo,  where  and  by  wbom  tbey 
bad  been  imposed. 

It  is  earnestly  to  be  hoped  that  the  grand 
encampment  will  sincerely  and  seriously  pursue 
this  inquiry,  and  make  known  the  result  of  their 
researches  to  the  world.  In  the  mean  time,  ob- 
serve the  inferences  to  be  drawn  from  this 
extreme  diversity  of  the  terms  and  import  of  the 
obligations  as  administered  in  different  lodges, 
chapters,  and  encampments ;  but  all  under  the 
sanction  of  this  tremendous  oath  of  the  Entered 
pledge,  given  in  advance,  and  in  ignorance  of 
Apprentice ;  all  secured  by  this  soul-shackling 
what  they  are  to  be,  and  all  riveted  by  the 
penalty  to  which  I  shall  next  advert. 

4.  "  All  this  I  promise  and  swear,  binding 
myself  under  no  less  penalty  than  that  of  having 
my  throat  cut  across  from  ear  to  ear,  my  tongue 
torn  out  by  its  roots,  and  my  body  buried  in  the 
rough  sand  of  the  sea,  at  low-water  mark,  where 
the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in  twenty-four 
hours." 

We  have  been  told,  over  and  over  again,  that 
this  is  understood  by  Masons  to  be  merely  an 
invocation ;  and  the  committee  of  investigation 
of  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island  have  gravely 
told  the  world  that  the  explanation  given  by  Ma- 
sons to  this  penalty  is,  "  that  I  would  rather  have, 


106  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

or  sooner  have,  my  throat  cut  than  to  reveal,"  &c. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  this  explanation  is  in  direct 
contradiction  to  the  plain  and  unequivocal  import 
of  the  words  of  the  oath.  The  oath  incurs  the 
penalty  for  its  violation.  The  explanation  promises 
fidelity,  though  at  the  expense  of  life.  The  oath 
imprecates  the  death  of  a  traitor,  as  a  •penalty  for 
treachery.  The  explanation  claims  a  crown  of 
martyrdom  for  constancy.  If  Benedict  Arnold 
had  been  taken  in  the  act  of  treason  to  his 
country,  he  would  have  suffered  no  less  a  'penalty 
than  death — though  not  the  barbarous  and  brutal 
death  of  the  Masonic  obligation.  When  Joseph 
Warren  suffered  death  on  Bunker  Hill,  is  there 
an  explanatory  Mason  who  dare  tell  you  that  he 
suffered  2i penalty?  Yet  so  it  is  that  the  Masonic 
oath,  and  its  explanation,  confound  all  moral  dis- 
tinctions to  the  degree  of  considering  the  death 
of  a  martyr  and  the  death  of  a  traitor  as  one  and 
the  same  thing. 

This  explanation  of  the  penalty  annexed  to  the 
Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged, is  not  ingenuous, — it  is  not  even  ingenious. 
It  is  a  grand  hailing  sign  of  distress ;  or  it  is  a 
Masonic  murder  of  the  English  language. 

I  say  this  with  the  less  hesitation,  because  in 
your  seventh  letter,  containing  your  defense  of  the 
Masonic  obligations,  you  have  disdained  to  take 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  107 

this  preposterous  explanation  of  the  Ehode  Island 
Masons.  You  know  too  well  the  import  of  words. 
You  candidly  avow  that  the  oaths  and  obligations 
are  out  of  season, — out  of  reason, — and  ought  to 
be  abolished.  I  will  therefore  forbear  to  press 
upon  you  the  still  grosser  absurdity''  of  the  pre- 
tended Rhode  Island  explanation,  when  applied 
to  the  Master  Mason's  and  Royal  Arch  penalties. 
The  Master  Mason's  penalty  is  to  have  his  body 
severed  in  two  in  the  midst,  and  divided  to  the 
north  and  south,  his  bowels  burnt  to  ashes  in  the 
center,  and  the  ashes  scattered  before  the  four 
winds  of  heaven,  that  there  might  not  the  least  track 
or  trace  of  remembrance  remain  among  men  or  Ma- 
sons of  so  vile  and  perjured  a  ivretch  as  I  shoidd  be. 
And  this,  according  to  the  Rhode  Island  explana- 
tion, is  to  be  the  consequence  of  his  dying  like 
Hiram  Abiff,  rather  than  betray  the  Masonic 
secrets. 

My  fifth  objection  is  to  the  horrible  ideas  of 
which  the  penalty  is  composed.  It  is  an  oath  of 
which  a  common  cannibal  should  be  ashamed. 
Even  in  the  barbarous  ages  of  antiquity.  Homer 
tells  you  that  when  Achilles  dragged  the  dead 
body  of  Hector  round  the  walls  of  Troy,  it  was  a 
dishonest  deed, —  aeikea  medeio  erga;  and  Plato 
severely  censures  Homer  for  even  introducing  this 
incident  into  his  poem.    A  mangled  body,  after 


108  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

death,  was  a  thought  disgusting  even  to  heathens. 
From  the  very  thoughts,  and  still  more  from  the 
lips,  of  a  Christian  it  should  be  forever  excluded, 
like  indelicacy  from  the  mouth  of  a  female.  The 
constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  of  Massa- 
chusetts, prohibit  the  infliction  of  cruel  or  unusual 
punishments,  even  by  the  authority  of  the  law. 
But  no  butcher  would  mutilate  the  carcass  of  a 
bullock  or  swine,  as  the  Masonic  candidate  swears 
consent  to  the  mutilation  of  his  own,  for  the 
breach  of  an  absurd  and  senseless  secret.  I  can 
not  assent  to  your  denomination  of  these  penalties 
as  idle  or  unmeaning  words.  They  are  words  of 
too  much  meaning — of  hideous  significancy.  The 
Masons  are  bound  for  their  own  honor  to  expunge 
them  from  their  records  forever.  "Would  that 
they  could  be  expunged  from  the  language,  dis- 
honored by  their  introduction  into  its  forms  of 
speech. 

I  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  friend, 
John  Quincy  Adams. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  109 


^  TO  WILLIAM  L.  STONE.  ESQ. 

QuiNCY,  29  August,  1832. 

Dear  Sir: — -Long,  and,  I  fear,  tedious,  as  you 
have  found  my  last  letter,  I  was  compelled  by  a 
reluctance  at  making  it  longer,  to  compress  the 
observations  in  it  upon  the  intrinsic  nature  of  the 
Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and  'penalties  within  a 
compass  insufficient  to  disclose  my  opinion,  and 
the  reasons  upon  which  it  is  founded. 

I  had  said  to  you  that  the  institution  of  Free- 
masonry was  vicious,  in  its  first  step,  the  initia- 
tion oath,  obligation,  and  'penalty  of  the  Entered 
Apprentice.  To  sustain  this  opinion,  I  assigned 
to  you  five  reasons.     Because  they  were, 

1.  Contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  extrajudi- 
cially taken  and  administered. 

2.  In  violation  of  the  positive  precept  ot  Jesus 
Christ. 

3.  A  pledge  to  keep  undefined  secrets,  the 
swearer  being  ignorant  of  their  nature. 

4.  A  pledge  to  the  penalty  of  death  for  viola- 
tion of  the  oath. 

5.  A  pledge  to  a  mode  of  death — cruel,  unusual, 
unfit  for  utterance  from  human  lips. 

If,  in  the  statement  of  these  five  obJectionSy  upon 


110  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

principles  of  law,  religion,  and  morals,  there  be 
anything  unsound,  I  invite  you  to  point  it  out. 
But  if  you  contest  either  of  my  positions,  I  must 
entreat  you  not  to  travel  out  of  the  record. 

I  might  ask  you  not  to  consider  it  a  refutation 
of  either  of  these  reasons,  to  say  that  you  and  all 
other  honest  and  honorable  Masons  have  never  so 
understood  or  practiced  upon  this  oath,  obliga- 
tion, and  penalty.  The  inquiry  is  not  what  you 
practice,  or  that  of  others  has  been,  but  what  is 
the  obligation,  its  oath,  and  its  penalty. 

I  must  request  of  you  to  give  me  no  explanation 
of  this  oath,  obligation,  and  penalty,  directly  con- 
trary to  their  unequivocal  import, — that  you  will 
not  explain  black  by  saying  that  it  means  white,  or 
even  by  alleging  that  you  so  understand  it.  I 
particularly  beg  not  to  be  told  that  honorable, 
intelligent,  and  virtuous  men — George  Washing- 
ton and  Joseph  "Warren  for  example — understood 
that  the  penalty  of  death  for  treachery  meant  the 
death  of  martyrdom  for  fidelity. 

I  would  willingly  be  spared  the  necessity  of 
replying  to  the  averment  that  the  patterns  of 
honor  and  virtue  whom  I-  have  just  named,  with  a 
long  catalogue  of  such  men,  have  taken  this  oath, 
and  bound  themselves  to  this  obligation,  under 
this  penalty ;  for  I  might  deem  it  proper  to 
inquire  whether  the  very   act  of  binding  such 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  Ill 

men,  by  sucli  oath,  to  such  obligation,  under  such 
penalty,  is  not  among  the  sins  of  the  institution. 

I  must  ask  you  to  suppose  that  such  institution 
had  never  existed, —  that  it  were  now  to  be 
formed,  and  that  you  were  one  of  ten  or  twenty 
virtuous  and  intelligent  men  about  to  found  a 
charitable  and  convivial  secret  association.  Sup- 
pose a  committee  of  such  a  meeting  appointed  to 
draw  up  a  constitution  for  the  society  should 
report  th-e  Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  obligation, 
and  penalty,  as  a  form  of  initiation  for  the  admis- 
sion of  members.  I  do  not  ask  you  whether  you 
would  vote  for  the  acceptance  of  the  report ;  but 
what  would  you  think  of  the  reporters  ? 

I  consider  this  as  the  true  and  only  test  of  the 
inherent  and  essential  character  of  Masonry,  and 
it  was  under  this  conviction  that  I  told  you  that 
the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath  was  sufficient  to 
settle,  in  my  mind,  the  immoral  character  of  the 
institution. 

It  is,  perhaps,  too  much  to  ask  of  you  an  ex- 
plicit assent  to  these  positions,  because  you  may 
consider  it  an  acknowledgment  of  error.  But 
this  is  the  first  and  fundamental  consideration, 
from  which  I  draw  the  conclusion  that  Masonry 
ought  forever  to  be  abolished.  It  is  wrong, — 
essentially  wrong, — ^^a  seed  of  evil  which  can 
never  produce  any  good.     It  may  perish  in  the 


112  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

ground  —  it  may  never  rise  to  bear  fruit;  but 
whatever  fruit  it  does  bear  must  be  rank  poison ;  it 
can  never  prove  a  blessing  but  by  its  barrenness. 

My  objections  to  this  seminal  principle  of  Ma- 
sonry apply,  in  all  their  force,  to  the  single 
obligation,  the  form  of  which  is  given  in  the 
appendix  to  your  volume  (page  3),  where  it  is 
stated  to  have  been  the  only  obligation,  taken  for 
all  three  degrees,  so  late  as  1730,  when  only  three 
degrees  of  Masonry  were  known.  The  oath  is  in 
fewer  words,  but  more  comprehensive;  for  tho 
obligation  is  to  keep  "  the  secrets  or  secrecy  of  Ma- 
sons or  Masonry J^  There  is  indeed  a  qualification 
in  the  promise  not  to  write,  print,  mark,  &c., 
which  seems  to  keep  the  obligations  within  the 
verge  of  the  law.  For  the  promise  is  to  reveal 
nothing  whereby  the  secret  might  be  unlawfully 
obtained.  The  penalty  is  also  death,  not  for  con- 
stancy, but  for  treachery,  "  so  that  there  shall  be 
no  remembrance  of  me  among  Masons." 

The  oath,  obligation,  and  penalty,  the  only  one 
taken  in  all  ,the  degrees  of  Masonry  known  but 
one  century  ago,  is  the  prolific  parent  of  all  the 
degrees,  and  all  the  oaths,  obligations,  and  penal- 
ties since  invented,  and  of  the  whole  progeny  of 
crimes  descended  from  them.  The  natural  and 
unavoidable  tendency  of  such  an  obligation  is  the 
multiplication  of  its  kind.      This    tendency    ia 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  113 

among  the  most  obvious  causes  which  have  led  to 
the  interdiction  of  all  such  oaths  and  obligations, 
by  the  civil,  the  ecclesiastical,  and  the  moral  law. 
The  obligation  is  to  keep  undefined  secrets.     As 
they  are  undefined  in  the  obligation  itself,  there 
is   nothing   in   the   constitutions  of  Masonry  to 
define  them,  or  to  secure  uniformity  either  of  the 
secrets  or  of  the  obligations.     Every  lodge  may 
vary  the  secrets,  obligations,  and  penalties ;  and, 
accordingly,    they     have    been    so    varied    that 
scarcely  any  two  adhering  Masons  give  the  same 
account   of  them.     Almost  the  only  defense   of 
Masonry,  after  the  publication,  of  the  books  of 
David  Bernard   and  Avery   Allyn,   consisted   in 
efforts    to    discredit   them,  by   denying   that  the 
oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  were  truly  stated 
by  them.     A  secret  institution  in  three  degrees, 
the  secret  of  each  degree  being  withheld    from 
the  members  of  the  degrees  inferior   to   it,  is   a 
perpetual  temptation  to  the  initiated  to  multiply 
the  secrets  and  the  degrees.     Thus  it  is  that  the 
lodges   have  grown  into  chapters,   the    chapters 
into   encampments,   the  encampments   into   con- 
sistories; and,  so  long  ago  as  December,  1802,  the 
grand  inspectors  of  the  United  States  of  America 
issued,  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  a  circular 
announcing  the  existence  and  names  of  the  thirty- 
three  degrees  of  Masonry, 
8 


114  LETTEKS   AND    OPINIONS 

The  secrets,  to  the  keeping  of  which  the  En- 
tered Apprentice  is  svrorn,  are  indefinite.  In 
genuine  Masonry,  when  revealed  to  hira,  he  finds 
them  friDolous.  You  acknowledged  that  your 
first  feeling  upon  receiving  them  was  disappoint- 
ment. So  must  it  be  with  every  reflecting,  intel- 
ligent man ;  nor  is  it  conceivable  that  any  such 
Entered  Apprentice,  on  leaving  the  lodge  after  his 
admission,  should  fail  to  have  observed,  with  pain 
and  mortification,  the  contrast  between  the  awful 
solemnity  of  the  oath  which  he  has  taken,  and 
the  extreme  insignificance  of  the  secrets  revealed 
to  him.  It  is  to  meet  this  unavoidable  impression 
that  the  institution  is  graduated.  The  lure  of 
curiosity  is  still  held  out,  and  its  attractive  power 
is  sinewed,  by  the  very  disappointment  which  the 
apprentice  has  experienced.  He  takes  the  degrees 
of  Fellowcraft  and  Master  Mason,  and  still  finds 
disappointment  —  still  finds  himself  bound  by 
tremendous  oaths  to  keep  trifling  and  frivolous 
secrets.  The  practice  of  the  institution  is  accep- 
tive and  fraudulent.  It  holds  out  to  him  a 
promise  which  it  never  performs.  Its  promise  is 
light ;  its  performance  is  darkness. 

But  it  introduces  him  to  intimate,  confidential, 
and  exclusive  relations,  with  a  select  and  limited 
circle  of  other  men, — and  to  the  same  confiden- 
tial and  exclusive  relations,  with  great  multitudes 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  115 

of  men  belonging  to  every  civilized  nation 
throughout  the  globe.  The  Entered  Apprentice's 
oath  is  merely  an  oath  of  secrecy ;  but  the  candi- 
date who  takes  it  has  pledged  himself,  by  his 
application  for  admission,  to  conform  to  all  the 
ancient  established  usages  and  customs  of  the  fra- 
ternity. And  the  charge  of  the  master,  given  him 
upon  the  Bible,  compasses,  and  square,  presents 
him  with  three  precious  jewels, — a  listening  ear,  a 
silent  tongue,  and  a  faithful  heart, — all,  of  course, 
exclusively  applicable  to  the  secrets  revealed  to 
him;  and  he  is  told  that  the  listening  ear  teac'ies 
him  to  listen  to  the  instructions  of  the  worshipful 
master,  but  more  especially  to  the  cries  of  a 
worthy  distressed  brother  ;  and  the  faithful  heart 
teaches  him  to  be  faithful  to  the  instructions  of 
the  worshipful  master  at  all  times,  but  more 
especially  to  keep  and  conceal  the  secrets  of  Ma- 
sonry, and  those  of  a  brother,  when  given  to  him 
in  charge  as  such,  that  they  may  remain  as  secure 
and  inviolable  in  his  (the  Entered  Apprentice's) 
breast  as  in  his  (the  brother's)  own.  Two  check- 
words  are  also  presented  to  him, — truth  and  union, 
— the  explanation  of  which  concludes  that  the 
heart  and  tongue  of  Freemasons  join  in  promoting 
each  other's  welfare,  and  rejoicing  in  each  other's 
prosperity. 

Thus  the  essential  nature  of  the  Entered  Ap- 


116  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

prentice's  oath,  preceded  by  "his  pledge  to  conform 
to  all  the  established  usages  and  customs  of  the 
fraternity,  and  followed  by  the  charge  of  the 
master,  is  secret  and  exclusive  favor,  assistance,  and 
fidelity  to  the  brotherhood  and  brothers  of  the 
craft. 

Now  combine  together  the  disappointment 
which  every  intelligent  accepted  Mason  must  feel, 
at  the  puerility  of  the  secrets  revealed  to  him, 
compared  with  the  appalling  solemnity  of  the 
oath  exacted  from  him  for  the  purchase  of  his 
lambskin  apron,  and  the  secret  ties  with  which 
he  has  linked  himself  with  multitudes  of  other 
men,  exclusively  to  favor,  assist,  and  be  faithful 
to  each  other,  and  acknowledge  that  the  tempta- 
tion to  make  the  secrets  more  important,  and  to 
turn  them  to  better  account  to  the  craft,  must  be 
irresistible.  Judge  this  system  a  pnon,  without 
reference  to  any  of  the  consequences  which  it  has 
produced,  and  say  if  human  ingenuity  could 
invent  an  engine  better  suited  to  conspiracy  of 
any  kind.  The  Entered  Apprentice  returns  from 
the  lodge  with  his  curiosity  stimulated,  his  imag- 
ination bewildered,  and  his  reason  disappointed. 
The  mixture  of  religion  and  morality,  blended 
with  falsehood  and  imposture,  which  pervade  all 
the  ceremonies  of  initiation,  is  like  arsenic  min- 
gled up  with  balm. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  117 

"  Most  dangerous 
Is  that  temptation  which  doth  lead  us  on 
To  sin  in  loving  virtue." 

If  the  candidate  has  been  educated  to  a  sincere 
and  heart-felt  reverence  for  religion  and  the  Bible, 
and  if  he  exercises  his  reason  he  knows  that  all 
the  tales  of  Jachin  and  Boaz,  of  Solomon's  tem- 
ple, of  Hiram  AbifF  and  Jubela,  Jubelo,  and 
Jubehim,  are  impostures, — poisons  poured  into 
the  perennial  fountain  of  truth, — traditions  ex- 
actly resembling  those  reprobated  by  Jesus  Christ, 
as  making  the  word  of  God  of  none  effect.  If, 
as  in  this  age  but  too  often  happens,  he  enters  the 
lodge  a  skeptic,  the  use  of  the  Bible  there,  if  it 
have  any  effect  upon  him,  will  turn  him  out  a 
confirmed  infidel.  The  sincere  and  rational  be- 
liever in  the  gospel  can  find  no  confirmation  of 
his  faith  in  the  unwarrantable  uses  made  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  to  shed  an  unction  of  their 
sanctity  around  the  fabulous  fabric  of  Freema- 
sonry; while  the  reprobate  miscreant  will  be 
taught  the  uses  to  which  fraud  and  secrecy  may 
turn  the  lessons  of  piety  and  virtue,  inculcated  in 
the  sublimest  effusions  of  divine  inspiration.  In 
those  Scriptures  we  are  told  that  when  "the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  did  secretly  those  things  that  were 
not  right  against  the  Lord  their  God,"  they 
became  idolators,  and  were  carried  into  captivity. 


118  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

Their  cities  then  were  soon  filled  with  a  mongrel 
race  of  Babylonians  and  Assyrians,  who  perverted 
the  word  of  God  with  the  impostures  of  pagan- 
ism ;  burned  their  children  in  fire,  to  the  gods  of 
Sepharvaim ;  and  *■'■  feared  the  Lord  and  served  their 
graven  images," — an  emblem  of  Freemasonry  far 
more  illustrative  of  its  character  than  the  tragedy 
of  Hiram  Abifi*. 

The  Entered  Apprentice's  oath  is,  therefore,  in 
its  own  nature,  a  seminal  principle  of  conspiracy ; 
and  this  objection  applies  to  the  only  oath  origin- 
ally taken  in  all  the  degrees  of  Freemasonry  at 
its  first  institution.     The  ostensible  primitive  pur- 
poses of  Freemasonry  were  all  comprised  in  good 
felloivship.    But  to  good  fellowship,  whether  of 
labor  or  refreshment,  neither  secrecy,  nor  oath, 
nor  penalties  are  necessary  or  congenial.    In  the 
original   institution   of  Freemasonry    there  was 
then  an  ostensible  and  a  secret  object,  and  by  the 
graduation  of  the  order  the  means  were  supplied 
of  converting  it  to  any  evil  purpose  of  associated 
power,  screened  from  the   danger  of   detection. 
Hence,  all  the  bitter  fruits  which  the  institution 
has  borne  in  Germany,  in  France,  in  Mexico,  and 
lastly,  in  this  our  beloved  country.      Nor  could 
they  have  failed  to  be  produced  in  Great  Britain, 
but  that,  by  sharp  and  biting  statutes,  they  have 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  119 

been  coufined  within  the  limits  of  the  ostensible 
object  of  the  brotherhood — good  fellowship, 
am,  with  much  rcs[)ect,  dear  sir, 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM    L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

OuiNCY,  6  September,  1832, 

Dear  Sir: — In  my  two  preceding  letters  you 
have  seen  my  objections  drawn  from  the  fountains 
of  law,  religion,  and  morals,  against  the  first  step 
of  Freemasonry, — the  oath,  with  its  obligation  and 
penalty,  administered  to  the  Entered  Apprentice 
at  his  initiation.  You  will  certainly  understand 
that,  in  this  denunciation  of  the  thing,  it  is  not 
my  intention  to  include  a  charge  against  any 
individual  who  has  ever  taken  the  oath ;  as,  on 
the  other  hand,  I  exclude  all  palliation  or  justifi- 
cation of  it,  upon  the  mere  authority  of  the  great 
names  of  men  by  whom  it  has  been  taken. 

It  is  a  pledge  of  faith  from  man  to  man  solemn- 
ized by  an  appeal  to  God,  and  fortified  by  the 
express  assent  of  the  swearer  to  undergo  the  pen- 
alty of  death,  and  mutilation  at  or  after  death, 
for  its  violation.  Such  it  is  in  itself,  and  no 
explanation  can,  without  doing  violence  to  the 


120  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

natural  connection  between  thought  and  lan- 
guage, take  away  this  its  essential  and  unequiv- 
ocal import. 

The  objections  are,  1.  To  the  oath.  2.  To  the 
promise.     3.  To  the  penalty. 

1.  To  the  oath,  as  a  double  violation  of  the  law 
of  the  land,  and  of  the  law  of  God.  Upon  this 
there  appears,  by  your  seventh  letter,  to  be  very 
little  if  any  difference  of  opinion  between  you 
and  me.  The  principles  assumed  and  admitted  in 
the  introduction  to  your  seventh  letter  are  un- 
questionably correct  with  reference  to  law,  to 
religion,  and  to  morals ;  and  it  is  equally  clear  that 
the}'"  are  all  disregarded  in  the  administration  of 
the  Masonic  oaths.  It  is  a  vice  of  the  institution 
which  no  example  can  justify,  and  which  no 
sophistry  can  extenuate.  Your  acknowledge- 
ment is  magnanimous — your  argument  unan- 
swerable. 

But  if  the  administration  of  the  oath  is,  of 
itself,  a  violation  of  the  laws  both  of  God  and 
man,  as  well  by  him  who  administers  as  by  him 
who  takes  it,  is  it  not  a  further  mockery  of  both, 
for  the  master,  in  the  very  act  of  transgressing 
the  laws,  and  of  suborning  the  candidate  to 
transgress  them  with  him,  to  say  to  him,  "  This 
obligation  is  not  intended  to  interfere  with  your 
duty  to  yourself,  your  neighboi-,  your  country,  or 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  121 

your  God."    Is  there  not  falsehood  and  hypocrisy 
superadded  to  the  breach  of  the  law,  and  profana- 
tion of  the  name  of  God,  in  the  injunction  and 
explanation  itself?     He  calls  upon  the   candidate 
to  perform  an  unlawful  act ;  and  he  tells  him  that 
it  is  not  to  interfere  with  his  religion  or  politics, 
or,  with  deeper  duplicity,  that  it  is  to  interfere 
with  none  of  his  civil,  moral,  or  religious  duties. 
This  self-contradiction  of  word  and  deed  is  the 
very  essence   of  all  sanguinary  religious   fanati- 
cism.  It  is  the  very  vital  spark  of  the  spirit  which 
armed  with  daggers  the  hands  of  Ravaillac  Bal- 
thasar  Girard.     Under  the  excruciating  pangs  of 
the  torture,  Ravaillac,  to  his  last  gasp,  protested 
that  he  thought  he  was  serving  God  by  the  assas- 
sination of  a  king  who  was  about  to  declare  war 
against  the  pope;  and  he  signed  his  name  to  one 
of   the    interrogatories    at   his   trial — Frangois 
Ravaillac — 

Ceu  toujours  dans  mon  coeur 
Jesus  soit  le  vainqueur. 

"  In  my  heart,  forever,  may- 
Jesus  hold  conquering  sway," 

If  the  murder  of  Henry  IV.,  of  France,  had 
been  concerted  in  a  Masonic  lodge-room,  and  the 
master  had  administered  to  the  perpetrator,  as  a 
part  of  his  oath,  the  obligation  to   commit  that 


122  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

deed,  he  might,  with  just  as  much  reasou  and 
consfstency,  have  assured  him  that  this  oath 
wouhl  not  interfere  with  his  religion  or  politics, 
or  with  his  duty  to  himself,  his  neighbor,  his 
country,  or  his  God,  as  the  master  of  a  Masonic 
lodge  can  now  give  such  an  assurance  to  a  candi- 
date for  admission  before  administering  to  him 
the  oath  of  an  Entered  Apprentice. 

2.   To  the  promise. 

The  promise  is  to  keep  the  secrets  of  Masonry, 
and  never  to  reveal  them  to  any  human  being 
not  already  initiated.  I  have  already  objected 
that  this  promise  is  indefinite.  The  promiser 
knows  not  the  nature  of  the  secrets  he  is  sworn 
to  keep;  nor  are  they  ever  explained  to  him.  In 
your  seventh  letter  (page  71)  you  have  explicitly 
stated  your  own  understanding  of  what  the  secrets 
were,  and  that  you  have  always  found  your  intelli- 
gent brethren  ready  to  concur  in  that  opinion. 
Your  definition  of  them  is  so  clear  and  satisfactory 
that,  if  it  were  in  its  very  terms  so  explained  by 
the  master,  before  administering  the  oath,  this  ob- 
jection would  be  removed. 

"  The  essential  secrets  of  Masonry  (you  say) 
consisted  in  nothing  more  than  the  signs,  grips, 
pass-words,  and  tokens,  essential  to  the  preserva,- 
tion  of  the  society  from  the  inroads  of  impostors, 
together  with   certain    symbolical   emblems,  the 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  123 

tecliiiical  terms  appertaining  to  wliich  served  as  a 
sort  of  universal  language,  by  wliich  the  members 
of  the  fraternity  could  distinguish  each  other,  in 
all  places  and  countries  where  lodges  were  insti- 
tuted and  conducted  like  those  of  the  United 
States." 

In  nothing  more.  But  no  such  explanation  is 
ever  given  to  the  candidate  for  admission,  when 
the  oath  is  administered  to  him,  or  ever  after- 
ward ;  and  you  candidly  admit  that  this  is  not  the 
understanding  entertained  of  the  secrets  of  Ma- 
sonr}^  by  "  the  foolish  brethren."  Now,  herein 
consists  my  objection  to  the  promise.  It  is  to 
keep  secret  he  knows  not  what, — he  never 
knows,  —  and  this  indefiniteness  is  essential  to 
preserve  the  graduation  of  the  order.  It  is  essen- 
tial to  keep  alive  the  curiosity  of  the  candidate 
who,  at  each  degree  that  he  attains,  is  ahvayK 
comforted  in  his  disappointment  by  the  assurance 
that  there  is,  in  the  next  degree,  a  secret  worth 
knowing. 

"If  it  be  saiifil  that  the  exaction  of  a  promise  to 
keep  a  secret  must  necessarily  precede  the  com- 
munication of  the  secret  itself,  and  that,  there- 
fore, no  promiser  can  know  in  advance  what  it  is 
that  he  pledges  himself  to  keep  secret,  I  reply 
that  my  objection  is  to  the  indefiniteness  not  only 
of  the  secFet  itself,  but  of  the  promise.    Jurors 


124  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

in  courts  of  law  are  sworn  to  keep  secret  tlie 
counsels  of  their  fellows  and  their  own.  The 
juror,  to  be  sure,  knows  not  what  the  counsels  of 
his  fellows  will  be,  when  he  swears  to  keep  them 
secret,  but  he  knows  that  they  can  not  extend 
beyond  the  line  of  their  duty  to  decide  the  matter 
committed  to  them, — and  there  is  nothing  indefi- 
nite in  the  obligation  from  the  moment  when  it 
becomes  binding  upon  him.  The  Masonic  swearer 
is  ignorant  of  the  extent  both  of  the  oath  and  of 
his  promise, — and  after  his  admission  he  still  is 
never  informed  what  are  the  secrets  which  he  has 
been  sworn  to  keep. 

In  ?/0Mr  enumeration  of  the  essential  secrets  of 
the  order,  you  do  not  include  the  oaths  them- 
selves, as  administered  to  the  candidates  for 
admission.  These,  therefore,  are  not  secrets 
which  any  Mason  is  bound  to  keep.  But  has 
this  been  the  understanding  of  intelligent  Masons 
heretofore  ?  Why,  then,  have  the  forms  of  the 
oaths  never  been  made  public  in  the  Masonic 
books  published  by  authority,  or  without  objec- 
tion from  the  order  ?  "Why  have  they  become  so 
different  in  different  places?  Why,  in  all  the 
trials  which  have  arisen  from  the  murder  of  Mor- 
gan, and  in  which  evidence  of  the  forms  of  these 
oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  was  essential  to 
the  issue,  have  not  authenticated  copies  of  them 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  125 

been  produced  in  court  by  the  Masonic  witnesses 
themselves  ?  In  Massachusetts,  in  Vermont,  in 
Rhode  Island,  there  have  been  numerous  defenses 
of  Masonry,  by  individual  Masons  and  Masonic 
lodges,  very  indignantly  denying  that  they  ever 
took  or  administered  the  obligation  with  the 
words,  "murder  and  treason  not  excepted;"  and 
generally  denying  that  they  were  under  any  obli- 
gation contrary  to  the  laws  of  God,  or  that  of 
their  country.  But  anxious  as  they  have  all  been 
to  fix  the  charge  of  slander  upon  Avery  Allyn 
and  David  Bernard,  and  to  make  the  world 
believe  that  the  forms  of  Masonic  oaths,  obliga- 
tions, and  penalties,  disclosed  in  their  books,  were 
fabrications  of  their  own,  never  used  by  any  Ma- 
sonic body,  still,  in  no  single  instance  have  they 
ever  produced  or  certified  to  the  oaths,  obliga- 
tions, and  penalties  as  used  or  administered  by 
themselves,  until  the  investigation  instituted  last 
winter  by  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
conducted  in  a  spirit  so  friendly  to  Masonry,  and 
so  adverse  to  Antimasonry,.that  it  could  scarcely 
have  been  more  so,  had  every  member  of  the 
investigating  committee  but  one  been  himself  an 
adhering  Mason.  In  that  investigation  the  com- 
mittee, like  yourself,  considered  the  secrets  of 
Masonry  to  consist  of  the  signs,  grips,  pass-words, 
and  emblematic  figures  of  speech,  and  no  more, — 


126  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

and,  with  regard  to  these,  they  indulged  the 
brotherhood,  not  by  inquiring  into  them,  by 
interrogation  of  adhering  Masons, — giving  notice 
that  they  should  take  all  these  profound  mysteries 
to  have  been  correctly  set  forth  in  the  books  of 
Allyn  and  Bernard,  unless  positive  testimony  to 
the  contrary  should  be  voluntarily  offered  by 
adherino:  Masons. 

But  the  committee  did  require  testimony  from 
the  adhering  Masons,  of  the  oaths,  obligations, 
and  penalties,  as  taken  in  the  lodges,  chapters, 
and  encampments  in  Rhode  Island,  and  it  was 
given.  The  appendix  to  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee contains  this  evidence,  and  authenticates 
upon  full,  adhering  Masonic  authority,  the  oaths, 
obligations,  and  penalties,  as  taken  and  adminis- 
tered in  Rhode  Island,  of  eleven  degrees,  from 
the  Entered  Apprentice  to  the  Royal  Master. 

It  is,  therefore,  to  the  indefiniteness  of  the 
promise  in  this  authenticated  obligation  of  the 
Entered  Apprentice  that  I  take  my  iirst  objec- 
tion,— and  this  indefiniteness  is  not  only  intrinsic 
in  the  terms  of  the  obligation  itself,  but  is  aggra- 
vated by  the  previous  pledge  of  the  candidate  to 
conform  to  the  established  usages  and  customs 
of  the  order,  and  by  the  charge  given  by  the 
master  who  administers  the  oath,  which  charge 
enjoins  it  upon  the  candidate  as  a  duty  to  obey 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  127 

the  instructions  of  the  master  of  the  lodge,  and 
to  keep  the  secrets  of  a  brother  Mason,  committed 
to  him  as  such.  The  obligation  includes  also  the 
pledge  to  keep  secret  the  transactions  of  the  lodge 
— without  exception. 

There  are  thus,  according  to  the  understanding 
of  the  Rhode  Island  Masons,  and  to  yours,  three 
distinct  classes  of  secrets  to  which  every  accepted 
Mason  was  bound.     First,  to  the  secrets  of  Ma- 
sonry, consisting  only  of  the  signals  of  communi- 
tion  and  tokens  of  mutual   recognition  between 
the  members   of    the   fraternity;    secondly,   the 
secrets  of  brother  Masons,  communicated  as  such  ; 
and,  thirdly,  the  transactions  in  the  lodge.     And 
of  these,  you  and  they  consider  the  first  class  only 
as  essential  to  the  order.    But  what  is  the  principle 
of  this  distinction?     None  such  is  found   in  the 
oaths   themselves,    nor   in    any   of    the   Masonic 
books,  nor  in  the  charges  given   by  the  master  to 
the  candidate  for  admission.     Does  the  promise 
of  secrecy,  given  by  the  Entered  Apprentice,  ex- 
tviud  to  tie  transactions  of  the  lodge  ?    It  does  not, 
in    ihe  terms  of  the  oath.      It  does  not,  by  the 
practice   of  the  Rhode  Island   lodges, — for  they 
enjoin  this  portion  of  the  secrets  by  their  by-laws 
upon  the   penalty  of  expulsion ;  but  those  same 
by-laws  contain    no   provision  whatever  for  the 
violation  of  the  essential  secrets.     In  all  the  oaths 


128  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

and  obligations  subsequent  to  the  degree  of  the 
Entered  Apprentice,  the  promise  includes  the 
secrets  of  a  brother  Mason,  communicated  as 
such,  but  not  the  transactions  of  the  lodge,  chap- 
ter, or  encampment.  These  are  deemed  binding 
only  by  virtue  of  the  other  promise  of  the  candi- 
date, that  he  will  conform  to  the  usages,  customs, 
and  regulations  of  the  fraternity.  Eut  this  dis- 
tinction itself  proves  that,  in  Masonic  contempla- 
tion, the  obligation  to  keep  secret  the  transactions 
of  the  lodge  is  not  the  obligation,  with  the  oath 
and  penalty,  to  keep  the  essential  secrets  of  the 
craft.  For  disclosing  the  transactions  of  the 
lodge,  the  penalty  is  expulsion.  But  the  by-laws 
contain  no  such  penalty  for  disclosing  the  secrets 
of  the  craft.  What  is  this  but  a  recognition  that 
the  penalty  for  divulging  the  secrets  of  the  craft 
is  different  from  the  penalty  for  revealing  the 
transactions  of  the  lodge? — that  it  is  a  crime  of 
much  higher  order,  sanctioned  by  the  oath  with 
its  penalty,  and  for  which  it  would  be  alike  incon- 
sistent and  absurd  to  provide  by  a  by-law  or  reg- 
ulation of  the  lodge. 

My  first  objection  to  the  promise  of  the  Entered 
Apprentice's  obligation  is  its  indejfiniteness, — and 
this  objection  extends  to  all  the  obligations  of  the 
subsequent  degrees,  and  to  the  institution  itself, 
which  is  nowhere    limited    to  any   number  of 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  129 

degrees,  and  is  thereby  rendered  a  ready  engine 
of  conspiracy  for  any  evil  purpose. 

A  second  objection  to  the  promise  is  its  univer- 
sality. It  is  to  keep  the  secrets  of  the  craft,  and 
never  to  reveal  them  to  any  'person  under  the  can- 
opy of  heaven.  The  single  exception  has  no  other 
efiect  than  to  exclude  all  other  exceptions.  It  is 
confined  to  initiated  brothers  and  regular  lodges, 
to  whom  the  Entered  Apprentice  can,  of  course, 
reveal  nothing,  they  being  already  in  possession 
of  secrets  which  he  promises  to  keep.  The 
promise,  therefore,  is  never  to  reveal  the  secrets 
of  Masonry  to  any  person  under  the  canopy  of 
heaven. 

I  shall  pursue  this  subject  in  another  letter. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

Quincy,  io  September,  1832. 
Dear  Sir. — The  second  objection  to  the  promise 
of  the  Entered  Apprentice's  obligation  is  its  uni- 
versality. The  candidate  swears  that  he  will  never 
reveal  any  of  the  undefined  "  arts,  parts,  or  points 
of  the  mysteries  of  Freemasonry,  to  any  person 
under  the  canopy  of  heaven."    This  promise,  like 

9 


130  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

the  administration  of  the  oath,  is,  in  its  terms, 
contrary  to  the  law  of  the  land.  The  laws  of  this, 
and  every  civilized  country,  make  it  the  duty  of 
every  citizen  to  testily  the  whole  truth  of  facts, 
deemed  by  legislative  bodies  or  judicial  tribunals, 
material  to  the  issue  of  the  investigation  before 
them.  It  is  also  the  duty  of  a  good  citizen  to  de- 
nounce and  reveal  to  the  authorities  established  to 
execute  the  laws  against  criminals,  any  secret 
crimes  of  which  he  has  in  any  manner  acquired 
the  knowledge.  !N"ow,  there  is  nothing  in  the 
arts,  parts,  or  points  of  the  mysteries  of  Freemasonry 
which,  in  the  trial  of  a  judicial  cause,  or  in  an 
investigation  of  a  legislative  assembly,  may  not 
be  justly  deemed  material  to  the  issue  before  the 
court  or  the  legislature.  Of  its  materiality,  the 
judges  or  the  legislators  have  the  exclusive  right 
to  decide.  No  witness,  called  before  the  court  of 
justice  or  an  authorized  committee  of  a  legisla- 
ture, can  refuse  to  answer  any  question  put  to 
him  by  the  court  or  the  committee,  on  the  ground 
that  he  deems  it  immaterial  to  the  trial  before 
them.  This  principle  becomes  more  glaringly 
obvious,  when  applied  to  the  promise  never  to 
reveal  the  secrets  of  a  brother  Mason,  communi- 
cated to  him  as  such,  contained  in  the  Master 
Mason's  oath.  But  the  principle  is  identically 
the  same.      The   Entered   Apprentice   promises 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  131 

never  to  reveal  to  any  person  under  the  canopy 
of  heaven,  that  which  the  laws  of  his  country- 
may,  the  next  day  after  he  makes  the  promise, 
make  it  his  duty  to  reveal  to  any  court  of  justice 
before  which  he  may  be  summoned  to  appear,  or 
to  any  committee  of  the  legislature  of  the  state  in 
which  he  resides,  or  of  the  Union.  The  promise 
is  therefore  unlawful,  by  its  universality. 

You  will  remember  that  I  am  maintaining  the 
position  that  the  obligation,  under  oath  and  pen- 
alty, administered  to  and  taken  by  the  Entered 
Apprentice,  is,  in  itself ^  essentially  vicious.  I  now 
state  the  promise  in  the  words  universally  admit- 
ted to  be  used  in  that  ceremony.  Do  you  deny 
that  they  contain  an  unlawful  promise  ?  Yes, 
say  you,  because  the  candidate  is  told,  by  the 
master  who  administers  the  oath,  that  "  he  is  ex- 
pressly to  understand  that  nothing  therein  con- 
tained is  to  interfere  with  his  political  or  religious 
principles,  with  his  duty  to  God,  or  the  laws  of 
his  country."  And  you,  and  all  honest  aud 
worthy  Masons,  take  and  administer  the  oath 
with  this  understanding.  Well,  then,  the  promise 
is,  in  its  terms,  contrary  to  the  law  of  the  land, — 
but  you  take  and  administer  it  with  tacit  reserva- 
tion, furnished  to  you  not  by  the  action  of  your 
own  understanding,  but  by  the  previous  notifica- 
tion of  the  m  i^^ter  who  administers  the  oath  to 


132  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

you.  So,  aud  so  only,  you  say,  the  terms  of  the 
promise  are  to  be  construed.  But,  in  the  first 
place,  this  is  not  a  question  of  construction,  but  a 
question  of  mental  reservation.  The  words  are 
plain  and  unequivocal ;  but  you  pronounce  them 
with  a  reservation,  that  the  promise  shall  bind 
you  to  nothing  contrary  to  law.  !N"ow,  what  pos- 
sible reason  or  justification  caij  there  be  for  exact- 
ing a  promise,  under  oath,  the  real  meaning  of 
which  is  totally  different  from  that  of  the  terms 
in  which  it  is  couched  ?  You  swear  a  man  to  one 
thing,  and  you  tell  him  it  means  another.  But, 
secondly,  how  far  does  your  exception  extend  ? 
You  say  the  promise  extends  only  to  the  essential 
secrets  of  Masonry,  and  to  the  lawful  transactions 
in  the  lodges,  and  to  the  secrets  of  Masons,  not 
criminal, — the  former  of  which  you  consider  of 
not  the  least  consequence  to  the  world,  but  essen- 
tial for  the  preservation  of  the  society.  The 
secrecy  of  transactions  in  the  lodges  you  believed 
to  be  merely  conventional;  and  the  promise  of 
keeping  the  secrets  of  a  brother  Mason  are  can- 
celled, when  the  secret  confided  to  you  by  him  is 
of  a  crime  committed  by  himself. 

Now,  all  these  exceptions  resolve  themselves 
into  the  tacit  reservation,  authorized  by  the 
declaration  of  the  master,  before  administering 
the  oath,  that  it  contains  nothing  contrary  to  law. 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  133 

If  the  oath  is  taken  with  that  reservation,  it  ap- 
plies equally  to  the  promise  to  keep  the  essential 
secrets  of  the  order,  and  to  all  the  others.  And, 
therefore,  a  Freemason,  summoned  before  the 
committee  of  a  legislature  or  a  court  of  justice,  is 
bound  not  less  to  disclose  the  grips,  signs,  due 
guards,  and  tokens,  than  he  is  to  divulge  the 
crimes  of  a  brother  Mason,  known  to  him. 

The  simple  question  I  take  to  be  this :  I  sup- 
pose a  Freemason  to  be  summoned  before  a  legis- 
lative committee  or  assembly,  or  judicial  tribunal, 
to  testify.  Is  he  or  is  he  not  bound  to  answer 
any  interrogatory  put  to  him  by  their  authority, 
and  which  they  require  of  him  to  answer,  respect- 
ing the  essential  secrets  of  the  craft?  If  he  is,  how 
can  these  secrets  be  kept,  and  of  what  avail  are 
all  the  oaths  administered  to  Masonic  candidates, 
whether  with  or  without  penalty  ?  If  he  is  not, 
then  the  obligation  oath  supersedes  the  obligation 
of  the  law  of  the  land.  And  if  the  Masonic  oath 
of  secrecy  is  paramount  to  the  law  of  the  land, 
with  regard  to  the  mysteries  of  the  craft,  where  is 
the  principle  which  restores  the  supremacy  of  the- 
law,  to  require  the  disclosure  of  the  Masonic 
crimes  ?  The  Masonic  oath  makes  no  discrimina- 
tion between  the  secrets, — the  promise  to  keep 
them  all.  The  declaration  of  the  master  that 
there  is  nothing  unlauful  in  the  oath,  makes  no 


134  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

discrimination, — it  applies  to  all,  or  it  applies  to 
none. 

"With  this  view  of  the  subject,  you  will  perceive 
that  I  deem  it  altogether  immaterial  to  the  argu- 
ment, whether  the  words  "  murder  and  treason 
not  excepted"  are  or  are  not  included  in  the 
Royal  Arch  Mason's  promise  of  secrecy, — whether 
he  promise  to  espouse  the  cause  of  a  brother 
Mason,  right  or  wrong,  or  not, — and  whether  the 
words,  "  and  they  left  to  my  own  election,"  are  or 
are  not  an  innovation  in  the  Master  Mason's  oath. 
But  when  you  ask  me,  as  an  act  of  "justice,  to 
believe  that,  should  a  brother  Mason  tell  you,  as  a 
secret,  that  he  had  robbed  a  store,  you  would  very 
speedily  make  the  matter  public  in  the  police 
office,"  I  must,  while  very  cheerfully  and  sincerely 
believing  you,"  observe  that  it  would  be  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  very  explicit  import  of  the  Master 
Mason's  oath.  By  that  oath  the  Master  Mason 
promises  to  keep  the  secrets  of  a  brother  Master 
Mason  as  secure  and  inviolable  as  if  they  were  in 
his  own  breast,  "  murder  and  treason  except- 
ed." That  is,  excepting  two  specific  enumerated 
crimes.  What,  then,  is  the  meaning  of  this  ex- 
ception, and  why  are  they  excepted?  The 
naming  of  them  emphatically  leaves  all  other 
crimes  included  in  the  promise  and  excluded  from 
the  exception.    The  Master  Mason's  promise  does, 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  135 

therefore,  by  the  plain  import  of  its  terms,  pledge 
him  to  keep  secret  the  knowledge  of  any  crime 
committed  by  a  brother  Master  Mason,  and  com- 
municated to  him  as  a  Masonic  secret,  other  than 
the  two  specified  b}'  name ;  and  if  you  should  be 
iu  the  unfortunate  condition  of  having"  such  a 
secret  communicated  to  you,  and  should  give 
notice  of  it  at  the  police  office,  you  would  dis- 
charge your  duty  to  your  country,  only  by  con- 
sidering your  Mason?c  promise  as  null  and  void. 
For  here  is  the  dilemma.  If  the  Masonic  prom- 
ises are  all  made  with  the  tacit  reservation  that 
nothing  contrary  to  law  is  understood  to  be 
included  in  them,  then  the  exception  of  murder 
and  treason  in  the  Master  Mason's  oath  is  not 
only  superfluous,  but  deceptive, — since  it  limits 
to  two  specific  crimes,  the  exception  already 
referred  to,  of  all  crimes  whatsoever.  And  if  the 
Masonic  promises  are  made  without  the  reserved 
exception  of  all  unlawful  things,  then  the  excep- 
tion of  murder  and  treason,  from  the  secrets 
which  the  Master  Mason  pledges  himself  to  keep, 
le  ives  all  other  crimes  as  distinctly  under  the 
shelter  of  the  promise  as  if  they  had  been  included 
in  it  expressly  by  name 

3.   To  the  promise.     Death  by  torture  and  muti- 
lation. 

I  have,  in  a  former  letter,  exposed  the  fallacy — 


136  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

I  must  say  the  disgenuous  fallacy — of  the 
attempt  to  defend  this  part  of  the  Masonic  obli- 
gation in  the  late  Rhode  Island  legislative  inves- , 
tigation.  In  the  tale  of  "January  and  May," 
when  the  doting,  blind,  and  abused  husband,  by 
the  miraculous  interposition  of  the  king  of  the 
fairies,  receives  instantaneous  restoration  of  sight 
to  witness  his  own  dishonor,  the  queen  of  fairies, 
with  equal  promptitude,  suggests  to  the  guilty 
wife  an  explanation.  The  Masonic  brotherhood 
of  Rhode  Island  are  as  ready  to  take  a  suggestion 
from  the  queen  of  fairies  as  the  youthful  and 
studious  May.  The  committee  of  the  Rhode 
Island  legislature  was  composed  of  men  too  intel- 
ligent to  be  duped  like  the  wittol  January;  yet 
were  they  contented  to  be  told,  and  to  believe, 
that  the  penalty  of  death  for  revealing  a  secret, 
was  identically  one  and  the  same  thing  as  the 
heroic  martyrdom  of  death  rather  than  to  reveal 
a  secret.  All  language  is  a  system  of  logic ;  all 
language  is  a  system  of  morals;  all  figurative 
language  is  translation.  The  words  may  say  one 
thing  and  intend  another ;  but  translation  must 
not  confound  moral  distinctions,  and  irony  and 
denuncications  are  the  only  figures  of  speech 
which  are  permitted  in  human  intercourse  to 
"  wash  an  Ethiop  white.' 
Your  own  exposition  of  this  penalty  is  more 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  137 

candid  and  more  plausible.  Yon  consider  the 
words  in  which  the  penalty  is  expressed  as  un- 
meaning, because  the  candidate  has  been  told  that 
the  obligation  contains  nothing  contrary  to  law ; 
and  because  the  society  neither  possesses  nor 
exercises  the  power  to  authorize  the  execution  of 
the  penalty.  This,  of  course,  considers  the  pen- 
alty as  null  and  void. 

And  so,  one  would  think,  it  must  be  considered 
by  every  fair-minded  and  honorable  man.  And 
why,  then,  do  fair-minded  and  honorable  men  ad- 
here to  this  penalty  ?  Is  it  worthy  for  fair-minded 
and  honorable  men  to  use  words  full  of  sound 
and  fury,  signifying  nothing  ?  to  use  them  as  the 
sanction  of  a  promise  ?  to  use  them  with  an  ap- 
peal to  the  everlasting  God  ?  Are  the  words  so 
charming  in  themselves,  is  the  thought  conveyed 
by  them  to  the  mind  so  irresistibly  fascinating, 
that  even  now  twelve  hundred  fair-minded  and 
honorable  men  of  Massachusetts  declare,  in  the 
face  of  their  country  and  of  mankind,  that  they 
will  not  renounce  the  use  of  them  ?  Oh,  say  not 
what  fair-minded  and  honorable  men  will  or  will 
not  do  !  Twelve  hundred  men  of  Massachusetts, 
men  of  fair  and  honorable  minds,  even  now, 
after  all  the  arts,  parts,  and  points  of  the  mys- 
teries of  Freemasonry  have  been  revealed  and 
published  to  the  world,  nay,  after  the  very  check- 


138  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

word,  transmitted  to  them  for  their  protection 
against  the  intrusion  of  book-Masons  upon  their 
mysteries,  had  been  divulged  witli  all  the  rest, — 
after  all  this,  twelve  hundred  Masons  of  Massa- 
chusetts have  declared  that  they  will  not  renounce 
or  abandon  the  mysteries  of  Freemasonry ;  that 
they  will  still  continue  to  hold  their  meetings,  to 
tyle  their  lodges,  to  brandish  their  drawn  swords 
for  the  exclusion  of  cowans  and  eavesdroppers, 
and  to  swear  the  knave  or  simpleton  who  will 
henceforth  submit  to  take  the  oath,  never  to  re- 
veal, never  to  write,  print,  cut,  carve,  paint,  stain. 
or  engrave,  secrets  known  to  every  one  who  will 
take  the  trouble  to  read, — secrets,  in  their  own  es- 
timation, insignificant  and  puerile, — secrets,  in 
the  estimation  of  great  multitudes  of  their  fellow- 
citizens,  disgusting  and  blasphemous;  that  they 
will  continue  to  swear  the  candidate  to  this  oath 
of  secrecy,  under  no  less  a  penalty  than  that  of 
having  his  throat  cut  across  from  ear  to  ear,  his 
tongue  torn  out  by  the  roots,  and  his  body  buried 
in  the  rough  sand  of  the  sea,  at  low-water  mark, 
where  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in  twenty-four 
hours;  but  that  they  will  take  care  to  explain  to 
him  that  this  only  means  he  will  rather  die  than 
reveal  to  any  person  under  the  canopy  of  heaven 
these  secrets  known  to  all  the  world;  that  his  oath 
is  not  to  interfere  with  his  religion  or  politics,  nor 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  139 

with  any  of  his  duties  to  his  neighbor,  his  coiin- 
trj,  or  his  God.  For  thus  speaks  the  mystic 
muse  of  Masonry : 

And  many  a  holy  text  around  she  strews, 
To  teach  Masonic  moralists  to  die. 

Have  I  proved  that  the  Entered  Apprentice's 
oatJt  is  a  breach  of  law,  human  and  divine?  that 
\tQ  promise  is  undefined,  unUxwful,  and  nugatory? 
that  its  peyialty  is  barbarous,  inhuman,  murderous 
in  its  term,  and,  in  its  least  obnoxious  sense,  null 
and  void?  If  so,  my  task  is  done.  The  first 
step  in  Freemasonry  is  a  false  step.  The  Entered 
Apprentice's  obligation  is  a  crime,  and,  like  all 
vicious  usages,  should  be  abolished. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

Quincy,  4  September,  1832. 
Dear  Sir: — On  the  19th  ult.  I  wrote  you  a 
letter  containing  some  observations  upon  the  vol- 
ume of  letters  upon  Masonry  and  Antimasonry, 
which  you  have  done  me  the  honor  of  addressing 
me     It  was  confidential,  and  intimated  my  inten- 


140  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

tion  to  pursue  the  subject  hereafter.  So  far  as  it 
is  connected  with  the  presidential  election  now 
approaching,  I  abstain  from  all  interference  with 
it.  But  the  abolition  of  Freemasonry  in  this 
Union  is  a  cause  which  you  have  made  your  own, 
and  which  I  trust  you  will  not  abandon. 

In  the  seventh  letter  of  your  volume,  in  con- 
firmation of  the  statement  that  the  Masonic 
obligations  are  administered  in  very  different 
phraseology  in  different  places,  you  refer  me  to 
inclosed  copies  of  the  obligations  of  the  seven 
degrees  as  they  were  given  twenty-five  years 
since  in  the  lodge  and  chapter  of  an  eastern  city. 
You  add  among  other  things  that  these  forms 
were  introduced  and  adopted  at  Rochester,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  when  Royal  Arch  Masonry 
was  introduced  there.  And  you  invite  my  atten- 
tion to  the  difference  between  the  Royal  Arch 
obligation  as  contained  in  this  manuscript  and 
that  in  Bernard's  book. 

There  is  in  the  volume  a  reference  to  the  note 
B,  in  the  appendix.  But  there  I  find  only  an 
apology  for  the  omission  of  this  manuscript  be- 
cause it  would  have  swelled  the  volume  to  a  size 
beyond  your  intention. 

If  it  would  not  give  you  too  much  trouble  I 
should  be  obliged  to  you  for  a  communication  to 
me  of  this  manuscript,  which  you  can  forward  by 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  141 

the  mail,  and  which  will  be  returned  to  you  as 
you  may  direct. 

I  am  ..very  respectfully,  dear  sir, 

Your  friend  and  servant, 
John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY,  LEVI  LINCOLN,  GOVERNOR 
OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

[extract.] 

Washington,  i  February,  1832. 
Dear  Sir: — My  Antimasonry  has  cooled  down 
a  little  while  objects  less  important  but  more 
urgent  absorb  my  time  and  attention ;  but  it  has 
not  been  extinguished  by  the  mental  reservations 
of  the  twelve  hundred  certifiers  to  their  own 
integrity,  which  I  never  thought  of-  impeaching, 
nor  has  it  been  remarkably  edified  by  the  ostensi- 
ble investigation  of  the  committee  of  the  Rhode 
Island  legislature,  or  its  results.  I  share  in  no 
spirit  of  Antimasonic  proscription,  if  such  there 
be ;  but  if  I  had  any  right  of  person  or  property 
pending  in  a  court  of  justice  with  an  Entered  Ap- 
prentice or  a  Knight  Templar  for  my  adversary, 
I  should  much  disincline  to  see  any  man  sworn 
upon  my  jury  who  had  been  present  at  the  mur- 


142  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

der  and  resuscitation  of  Hiram  Abiff,  and  still 
more  to  any  one  who  should  have  crawled  upon 
all-fours  under  the  living  arch.  In  other  words, 
I  do  hold  as  disqualified  for  an  impartial  juror,  at 
least  between  a  Mason  and  an  Antimason,  any 
man  who  has  taken  the  Masonic  oaths  and  ad- 
heres to  them,  not  excepting  the  twelve  hundred 
certifiers  theraselyes.  With  regard  to  church-fel- 
lowship, I  am  not  prepared  to  speak  so  particu- 
larly. I  am  in  church-communion  with  several 
of  the  twelve  hundred,  and  have  perfect  con- 
fidence in  their  integrity.  But  I  would  challenge 
them  as  jurors,  between  me  and  the  Master  Mason 
who  made  oath  that  he  had  been  twice  present 
with  me  at  a  lodge  in  Pittsfield;  or  between  me 
and  the  Master  Mason  who  had  the  impudence  to 
vouch  in  my  father  as  a  patron  of  Masoury. 

I  have  said  that  I  share  in  no  Antimasonic 
proscriptions,  if  such  there  be ;  and  I  repeat  the 
assurance,  that  so  far  from  approving  or  counte- 
nancing their  nomination  of  any  candidate  iu 
opposition  to  you,  I  did  unequivocally  disapprove 
of  that  measure,  and  as  far  as  I  could  dissuade 
them  from  it.  I  am  happy  to  give  you  this 
assurance,  nor  will  I  press  further  for  the  name 
of  him  who  attempted  to  induce  in  your  mind  a 
different  belief.  I  have  no  doubt  he  was  acting 
under  Masonic  law  as  faithfully  as  the  brethren 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  143 

of  the  Royal  Arch,  who  Morganized  the  bottom 
of  i^iagara  River.     Agnosco  fratrem. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  ALEXANDER  H.  EVERETT,  ESQ.,  BOSTON. 
[extract.] 

Quincy,  i8  August,  1832. 

With  respect  to  conciliating  the  Antimasons  in 
this  commonwealth,  though  it  is  rather  late  for 
the  ISTational  Republicans  to  begin,  it  may  be  bet- 
ter late  than  never.  I  most  sincerely  and  heartily 
wish  that  they  would.  The  National  Republicans 
of  this  commonweath  have  not  understood — they 
do  not  and  I  fear  will  not  understand — the  state 
of  the  Antimasonic  question.  About  a  year  ago 
the  grand  lodge  of  Rhode  Island  published  a 
formal  defense  of  Masonry,  in  which  they  said 
they  could  not  tell  whether  Morgan  had  been 
murdered  or  not,  for  they  knew  nothing  about  it.  i 
have  read  a  declaration  published  on  the  last  day 
of  the  last  year,  signed  by  twelve  hundred  Ma- 
sons of  this  our  own  state,  who  speak  of  a  high 
excitement,  which  had  been  in  the  public  mind, 
carried  to  it  "  by  the  'partial  and  inflammatory 
representations  of  certain  offenses  committed  by  a 


144  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

few  misguided  members  of  the  Masonic  institution 
in  a  sister  state."  The  National  Republicans  of 
Massachusetts  know  nothing  about  these  certain 
offenses;  but  they  have  for  two  years  past  taken 
most  especial  care  to  turn  out  of  office  every  Anti- 
mason  upon  whom  they  could  lay  their  hands,  all 
the  while  bitterly  complaining  of  the  persecuting 
and  proscriptive  spirit  of  political  Antima- 
sonry. 

The  cause  of  Antimasonry  must  and  will  sur- 
vive the  next  presidential  election.  And  if  the 
Kational  Republicans  of  Massachusetts  really 
wish  for  the  co-operation  of  Antimasons,  I  have 
no  doubt  they  can  obtain  it.  "Whether  they  can 
agree  upon  a  ticket  for  the  presidential  election 
now  so  near  at  hand,  is  doubtful  in  my  mind;  but 
I  take  it  for  granted  that  for  this  time  the  Nation- 
al Republicans  can  carry  their  elections  without 
them.  The  Masonic  declaration  of  last  winter,  to 
which  I  have  alluded,  considers  the  Antimasonic 
excitement  as  having  subsided,  and  they  certainly 
did  appear  to  have  lost  ground  in  this  state,  and 
at  least  to  have  gained  none  in  the  states  of  New 
York  and  Pennsylvania.  There  is  now  an  appar- 
ent union  of  the  two  parties  in  New  York,  but 
whether  it  will  be  cordial  or  successful  is  very 
problematical.  The  National  Republicans  there 
are  more  sanguine  than  the  Antimasons,   and 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  145 

there  are  wounds  between  tliem  not  easily  to  be 
healed.     You  know  how  it  is  here. 

Upon  the  subject  of  Antimasonry  I  have  no 
suffered  myself  to  be  excited,  although  there  has 
been  no  lack  of  provocations.  But  I  do  know 
something  about  the  Masonic  murder  of  Morgan, 
and  the  clusters  of  crimes  perpetrated  for  the  sup- 
pression of  his  book.  I  know  something  also  of 
the  laws,  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  of  Ma- 
sonry, and  I  have  not  been  unobservant  of  their 
practical  effect,  from  murder  under  the  sealed 
obligation,  down  to  the  prevarication  of  pretend- 
ing that  to  have  the  throat  cut  from  ear  to  ear 
means  expulsion  from  the  lodge.  If  the  Masonic 
controversy  were  now  raging  in  Cochin-China, 
and  the  name  of  Hiram  Abiff  had  never  been 
heard  upon  this  continent,  the  subject  would  be 
worthy  of  investigation,  as  a  philosophical  inquiry 
into  the  mysteries  of  human  nature.  I  have 
endeavored  to  consider  it  as  a  question  upon  the 
first  principles  of  morals.  I  have  sought  for  the 
facts  from  the  Masonic  as  well  as  from  the  Anti- 
masonic  side,  and  have  read  Henry  Brown,  as  well 
as  Avery  Allyn  and  David  Bernard.  Col.  Stone's 
letters,  which  you  have  doubtless  seen,  were  ad- 
dressed to  me,  in  consequence  of  inquiries  which 
I  had  addressed  to  a  brother  Mason  of  his  in 
Philadelphia,  which  were  communicated  to  him. 

10 


146  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

Stone  is  a  Knight  Templar,  and,  as  yon  know,  a 
very  ardent  ITational  Republican,  His  Masonic 
spirit  lingers  with  him  through  his  whole  book, 
but  he  is  an  honest  man, — unperverted  even  by 
the  fifth  libation, — and  a  bold  one,  or  he  never 
w^ould  have  dared  to  proclaim  the  truths  con- 
tained in  those  letters.  I  ask  your  particular 
attention  to  the  letters  from  twenty-one  to 
twenty-five  inclusive,  and  to  the  forty-eighth, 
and  I  wish  you  would  recommend  the  perusal  of 
them  to  those  of  your  National  Republican 
friends,  who  are  accessible  to  reason  upon  this 
subject.  I  abstain  purposely  from  any  public 
manifestation  of  opinion  upon  this  topic,  to  avoid 
all  appearance  of  interfering  with  the  approach- 
ing presidential  election. 

Faithfully  your  friend, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  RICHARD  RUSH    ESQ.,  YORK,  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Quincy,  30  August,  1832. 
My  Dear  Sir': — Since  my  letter  of  the  third 
instant,  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
from  you.  In  the  interval  I  have  been  solicited 
with  some  urgency,  on  one  hand  by  the  !N"ational 
Republicans,  and  on  the  other  by  the  Antimasons 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  147 

of  this  commonwealth,  to  repair  to  their  respect- 
ive standards,  which  are  not  here  the  same 
There  is  yet  some  obscurity  with  regard  to  the 
result  of  the  compromise,  said  to  have  taken 
place  in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania;  and  there 
is  no  prospect  of  an  agreement  between  them 
here. 

Of  this  I  have  had  the  opportunity  to  satisfy 
myself,  and  it  has  confirmed  my  conviction  of  the 
propriety  of  my  abstaining  from  interference  with 
the  elections.  I  have  therefore  declined  attend- 
ing as  a  delegate  at  the  Antimasonic  state  con- 
vention, to  be  held  at  Worcester  on  the  5th  of 
next  month,  to  make  nominations  for  the  offices 
of  governor  and  lieutenant-governor  of  the  com- 
monwealth, and  of  an  electoral  ticket  for  the 
choice  of  president  and  vice-president  of  the 
United  States. 

But  while  refraining  from  all  agency  in  the  ap- 
proaching elections,  I  am,  as  a  true  and  faithful 
Antima&ou,  in  search  of  light.  Now  there  are 
three  modes  of  lighting  a  lamp,  with  which  I  am 
almost  equally  familiar.  One  at  noon-day,  with 
a  burning-glass,  by  the  radiance  of  the  sun  ;  one 
in  times  of  clouds  and  darkness  with  flint,  steel, 
tinder,  and  a  match  ;  and  one  either  by  night  or 
day,  in  sunshine  or  in  shade,  kindled  at  the  light 
of  another  lamp.     In  the   analogy  between  the 


148  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

worlds  of  matter  and  of  mind,  electioneering 
seems  to  me  to  light  the  lamp  by  the  collision  of 
flint  and  steel.  But  I,  reserving  that  process  for 
use  when  the  others  fail,  or  can  not  be  applied, 
content  myself  for  the  present  with  lighting  my 
lamp  by  the  flame  of  another,  or  by  the  concen- 
trated illumination  from  the  source  of  light. 

I  have,  therefore,  since  my  return  home,  read 
with  close  and  critical  attention  the  volume  of 
letters  addressed  to  me  by  Col.  Stone.  This  book 
was,  if  not  composed,  at  least  addressed  to  me  in 
consequence  of  those  letters,  which  about  this 
time  last  year  I  wrote  to  Edward  Ingersoll,  and 
which  he  then  communicated  to  Mr.  Stone.  They 
contained  a  specification  of  nine  crimes,  atrocious 
as  any  that  can  be  committed  by  man,  with 
inquiries  whether  they  had  not  been  committed  in 
the  transactions  connected  with  the  murder  of 
Morgan,  and  whether  the  organized  institution 
of  Freemasonry,  its  corporate  bodies  of  lodges, 
chapters,  and  encampments,  were  not  accessory  to 
all  these  crimes,  before  or  after  the  fact. 

Mr.  Stone's  book  is  the  answer  to  these  in- 
quiries. He  is,  against  the  institution,  the  best 
of  witnesses.  He  has  taken  ten  degrees  of  Ma- 
sonry, and  is,  in  Masonic  language,  a  worthy  Sir 
Knight  Templar.  He  has  never  renounced  nor 
ever  formally  seceded  from  the  institution.    Long 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  149 

after  the  murder  of  Morgan  he  believed  that  no 
Masonic  lodge  had  in  any  manner  polluted  itself 
with  the  guilt  of  his  blood.  But,  as  the  editor 
of  a  respectable  journal,  he  did  not  sufter  his  Ma- 
sonic obligations  to  control  his  moral  duties.  He 
disdained  to  justify,  to  connive  at,  or  to  suppress 
the  commission  of  crimes.  His  journal  did  give 
to  the  public  statements  of  the  facts  as  they 
became  authenticated,  and  this  soon  brought  him 
into  collision  with  numbers  of  adhering  Masons, 
and  with  the  grand  lodge  of  the  State  of  JSTew 
York.  Then  after  a  sharp  altercation  and  bitter 
reproaches  for  his  admission  into  the  columns  of 
his  newspaper  of  truth  against  Masonic  murder; 
and  after  an  ineffectual  struggle  to  save  the  grand 
lodge  from  the  turpitude  of  an  appropriation  of 
money  for  the  benefit  of  the  western  sufferers,  he 
withdrew,  and  says  he  has  never  set  his  foot  in  a 
lodge-room  from  that  day. 

Col.  Stone,  I  have  said,  is  the  best  of  witnesses 
against  Masonry,  for  he  is  an  upright,  intelligent, 
and  most  unwilling  witness.  He  testifies  under 
the  shackles  of  all  his  Masonic  obligations,  and 
with  the  knowledge  that  he  is  incurring  the 
vindictive  and  unforgiving  resentment  of  the 
craft.  This  is  the  destiny  of  every  non-adhering 
Mason,  and  it  places  him  in  a  position  of  no 
trifling  or  inconsiderable   peril.     His   testimony 


150  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

coufirms,  far  beyond  any  anticipation  that  I  had 
formed,  the  extent  to  which  the  lodges,  chapters, 
and  encampments  of  the  State  of  'New  York  are 
implicated  in  the  Morgan-murder  crimes.  It 
demonstrates  beyond  all  possibility  of  reply,  not 
only  that  nine  crimes  specified  in  my  letter  to 
Edward  Ingersoll  have  been  committed,  but  that 
lodges,  chapters,  and  encampments  have  been 
accessory  to  every  one  of  them,  before  or  after  the 
fact.  It  proves  also  that  the  crimes  committed 
were  more  numerous  than  my  specifications,  and 
that  several  others  should  be  added  to  the  list. 
As  you  have  Stone's  book,  I  refer  you  to  the 
letters  from  twenty-one  to  twenty-five  inclusive, 
and  to  letter  forty-eight,  and  will  ask  at  your 
leisure  for  your  thoughts  on  the  facts  there  dis- 
closed. 

"With  a  view  to  the  ultimate  object  of  Antima- 
sonry,  the  abolition  of  Freemasonry  in  these  United 
States,  it  appears  to  me  to  be  an  important  point 
gained,  if  we  produce  on  the  public  mind  a  full 
conviction  that  those  crimes  have  been  committed, 
and  that  Masonry  is  responsible  for  them. 

The  honest,  adhering  Masons  turn  away  their 
eyes  from  the  facts,  and  urge  the  people  to  do 
the  same.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  they  can 
not  look  at  the  facts,  and  defend  the  institution, 
but  they  give  thereby  an  immense  advantage  in 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  151 

the  controversy  to  their  adversaries.  For  an 
argument  must  be  founded  upon  facts ;  he  who 
has  most  perfect  possession  of  facts,  must  have 
the  firmest  foundation  for  argument. 

But  after  establishing  the  facts,  first  of  the 
crimes  committed,  and  secondly  of  the  participa- 
tion of  many  organized  Masonic  bodies  in  them, 
there  is  another  point  of  view,  to  which  it  seems 
advisable  to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to 
induce  them  to  look  at  the  institution  a  'priori,  to 
examine  and  analyze  it,  as  it  is  in  its  nature.  In 
a  conversation  with  Col.  Stone,  after  he  had  pro- 
posed to  address  the  letters  to  me,  but  before  he 
had  begun  the  work,  he  was  pleading,  as  he  does 
in  his  book,  for  the  institution  as  he  had  known 
and  shared  in  it,  and  denied  that  he  had  ever 
taken  the  oath  with  the  words  "  murder  and 
treason  not  excepted.''^  I  said  to  him  that  the  first 
step  of  Masonry  was  a  stumbling-block  to  me. 
That  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath  was  vicious, 
and  infected  the  whole  institution.  He  has  stated 
this  observation  of  mine  in  his  book,  in  terms  I 
think  rather  stronger  than  those  that  I  used.  I 
have  therefore  written  him  two  letters,  with  a 
full  development  of  the  sentiment  which  I  did 
express  to  him,  and  of  the  reasons  upon  which  it 
is  founded.  I  have  not  written  them  for  the  pur- 
pose of  present  publication;  audi  inclose  them 


152  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

to  you,  before  transmitting  them  to  him,  and  will 
be  grateful  to  you  for  any  remarks  that  may 
occur  to  you  upon  the  perusal  of  them,  after 
which  I  will  ask  you  to  return  them  to  me.  You 
will  perceive  that  a  concentration  of  legal,  relig- 
ious, and  moral  objection  against  the  very  first 
act  of  initiation  to  Masonry  is,  in  truth,  laying 
the  corner-stone  to  the  edifice  of  Antimasonry. 
This  part  of  the  system  seems  to  me  not  to  have 
been  sufficiently  canvassed.  The  adhering  and 
seceding  Masons  have  been  disputing  about  sin- 
gle items  in  the  Master  Mason's,  Ro3^al  Arch,  and 
Templar's  obligations,  which  are  differently  ad- 
ministered in  different  lodges,  chapters,  and 
encampments,  while  the  vital  question  seems  to 
me  to  be  in  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  obli- 
gation, and  penalty.  The  chemist  who  detects 
arsenic  in  a  cup  of  coffee  may  inquire,  for 
curiosity,  whether  it  was  mingled  up  with  the 
powder  of  the  berry,  or  poured  into  the  boiling 
kettle ;  a  motive  of  more  intense  interest  to  those 
who  repair  with  the  pitcher  to  the  fountain 
should  be  to  examine  whether  the  poison  has  not 
been  deposited  there. 

You  will  estimate  the  confidence  which  I  repose 
in  your  candor  as  well  as  in  your  judgment  when 
I  add,  that  in  submitting  the  inclosed  letters  to 
your  examination  I  have  not  forgotten  that  you, 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  153 

like  "Wasliington  and  "Warren,  had  once  taken  the 
Entered  Apprentice's  oath  yourself. 
Accept  the  assurance  of 

my  respect  and  affection. 

John  Quingy  Adams. 


TO  BENJAMIN  COWELL,  ESQ.,  PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 
Washington,  28  November,  1832. 

Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  22d  instant,  inclosing 
your  address  before  the  Antimasonic  convention, 
held  at  Providence  on  the  2d  instant,  proposes 
a  question  of  considerable  difficulty,  namely,  by 
what  means  the  institution  of  Freemasonry,  with 
all  its  exceptionable  properties,  may  be  put  down. 

I  answer,  by  the  voluntary  dissolution  of  the 
society,  or  by  its  extinction  by  the  forbearance  of 
others  to  contract  its  obligations. 

I  have  hoped  that  the  virtuous  and  intelligent 
members  of  the  order,  upon  finding  that  all  their 
secrets  have  been  revealed  and  made  public  ;  upon 
perceiving  the  numerous  atrocious  crimes  connect- 
ed with  the  murder  of  Morgan,  and  to  which  their 
oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  have  given  rise ; 
and  upon  discovering  the  general  obloquy  into 
which  the  institution  was  gradually  sinking, 
would  frankly  have  abandoned  it,  of  their  own 


154  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

accord.  This  expectation  has  not  been  fully 
realized.  But  great  numbers  of  Masons  have 
ceased  to  frequent  the  lodges  ;  numbers  of  lodges 
and  chapters  have  suffered  their  charters  to  ex- 
pire ;  and  I  believe  the  instances  are  now  few  in 
which  they  swear  a  man  upon  the  penalty  of  hav- 
ing his  throat  cut  from  ear  to  ear,  to  keep  secret 
from  every  human  being,  what  every  human 
being,  who  will  read  the  books  of  David  Bernard 
and  Avery  Allyn  knows  as  well  as  the  brightest 
Masons  of  the  land, —  still,  the  majority  of  Ma- 
sons do  adhere  to  the  craft,  and  refuse  to  give 
up  their  idol.  The  only  way  to  deal  with  them 
is,  to  bring  to  bear  upon  them  public  opinion  ; 
and  that  mode  of  treatment  has  been  pursued 
with  regard  to  the  disease,  with  considerable 
and  encouraging  success. 

I  concur  with  you  in  the  opinion  that  the  ad- 
ministration of  Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and 
penalties  ought  to  be  prohibited  by  statutes  of  the 
state  legislatures,  with  penalties  annexed  to  them, 
not  of  cutting  throats  from  ear  to  ear,  nor  of  cut- 
ting the  body  in  two  by  the  middle,  nor  of  open- 
ing the  left  breast  and  tearing  out  the  heart  and 
vitals,  nor  of  smiting  off  the  skull  to  serve  as  a 
cup  for  the  fifth  libation ;  but  with  good,  whole- 
some penalties  of  fine  and  imprisonment,  ade- 
quate to  their  purpose  of  deterring  every  mastex", 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  155 

grand  master,  grand  king,  or  other  dignitary  of 
the  sublime  and  ineft'able  degrees,  from  evermore 
polluting  his  lips  with  the  execrable  formularies, 
which  have  at  length  been  dragged  into  light. 
Most  cordially  would  I,  were  I  a  member  of  any 
state  legislature  in  the  Union,  give  my  voice  and 
vote  for  the  enactment  of  such  monitory  statutes. 
But  this  can  not  be  effected  so  long  as  Masonry 
controls  the  majorities  in  the  state  legislatures, — 
that  is,  so  long  as  the  people  continue  to  elect,  as 
members  of  the  state  legislatures,  adhering  Free- 
masons, or  men  who  are  neither  Masons  nor  Anti- 
masons,  or  what  you  call  moral  Antimasons; 
men  who  disapprove  Masonry,  but  are  afraid  of 
mcurring  Masonic  vengeance  by  raising  a  finger 
or  uttering  a  word  against  it ;  men  whose  virtue 
consists  in  neutrality  between  right  and  wrong, 
and  who  are  willing  to  believe  that  to  refuse  their 
votes  to  a  man  because  he  is  an  adhering  Free- 
mason is  'persecution.  So  long  as  the  people  con- 
tinue to  constitute  majorities  of  their  state  legis- 
latures of  such  men  as  these,  so  long  will  it  be 
idle  to  expect  any  statutory  enactment  against 
Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties. 

It  is,  therefore,  the  duty  of  pure  and  disinterested 
Antimasonry  to  operate,  as  well  as  it  can,  upon 
public  opinion;  and  one  of  the  most  effective 
modes  of  thus  operating  is  the  ballot-box.     It  is 


156  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

just  and  proper  that  every  individual,  honestly 
believing  that  the  Masonic  institution  is  an  enor- 
mous nuisance  in  the  community,  which,  if  not 
voluntarily  relinquished,  ought  to  be  broken 
down  by  the  arm  of  the  law,  should  resolve  that 
he  will  vote  for  individuals,  as  members  of  the 
state  legislatures,  entertaining,  upon  this  subject, 
the  same  opinions  as  himself,  and  for  none  other. 
If  this  resolution  be  just  and  proper  for  each  indi- 
vidual separately,  it  is  equally  so  for  as  many 
individuals  collectively  as  can  agree  upon  the 
principle.  Far  from  being  obnoxious  to  the 
charge  of  persecution,  it  is,  perhaps,  the  mildest 
of  all  possible  forms  of  operating  upon  public 
opinion — by  public  opinion  itself.  It  is  thus  that 
the  Antimasons  have  acted ;  first  in  the  State  of 
IS'ew  York,  where  the  Morgan  murder  has  fasten- 
ed upon  the  hand  of  Masonry  a  spot  of  blood, 
like  that  which  the  dream  of  Macbeth's  wife 
paints  upon  hers,  and  which  all  the  perfumes  of 
Arabia  can  never  sweeten  ;  and  subsequently  in 
other  states,  including  that  of  Rhode  Island 
Thus  far  the  principle  of  political  Antimasonry 
has  my  hearty  approbation  ;  and  in  the  diversity 
of  opinion  which  still  unhappily  prevails  on  this 
question,  it  is  a  satisfaction  to  me  that  the  dictate 
of  my  judgment  coincides  with  that  of  a  large 
majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  my  native  town, 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  157 

my  friends  and  neighbors,  and  of  a  liigbly 
respectable  portion,  if  not  a  majority,  of  the  con- 
stituents whom  I  have  the  honor  of  representing 
in  the  congress  of  the  United  States. 

With  regard  to  the  political  course  of  the  Anti- 
masons  in  Rhode  Island,  I  am  not  a  competent 
judge.  To  the  cause  of  Antimasonry,  I  consider 
the  legislative  investigation  of  the  last  winter  as 
having  essentially  contributed.  It  has  substan- 
tially settled  the  question  what  the  oaths,  obliga- 
tions, and  penalties  of  Freemasonry  are;  it  has 
cut  short  all  quibbling  equivocation  and  attempts 
to  blast  the  credit  of  Avery  Allyn  and  David 
Bernard ;  it  has  given  us  these  oaths,  obligations, 
and  penalties  in  their  naked  deformity ;  it  has 
dragged  the  struggling  savage  into  day,  and  has 
shown  us  the  last  writhings  of  his  Protean  form, 
in  the  impudent  pretension  that  the  death  of  a 
traitor,  in  Masonic  language,  means  the  death  of 
a  martyr.  To  the  conclusions  of  the  majority  of 
the  committee  of  investigation,  namely,  that  it 
is  the  indispensable  duty  of  the  Masons  to  dissolve 
their  fraternity,  I  respond,  Amen  and  amen ; 
though,  when  I  read  their  report  and  observe  the 
process  by  which  they  reach  them,  I  can  not  for- 
bear an  exclamation  of  astonishment  at  the  novel 
process  of  induction,  by  which  their  conclusion 
slaps  the  face  of  all  their  premises. 


158  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

I  hope  and  trust  that  the  Freemasons  of  Ehode 
Island  will  ultimately  follow  the  advice  of  the 
committee  of  investigation,  which  so  magnani- 
mously waived  the  legislative  right  of  exacting 
testimony  to  their  secrets,  and  thus  suffered  the 
law  of  the  land  to  cower  before  the  law  of  Ma- 
sonic secrecy.  I  thank  the  committee  for  having 
peremptorily  exacted  the  real  oaths,  obligations, 
and  penalties,  as  taken  and  administered  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  consider  the  result  as  having  settled, 
in  the  miud  of  every  reasonable  and  independent 
man,  their  nature  and  their  character. 
Kespectfully,  sir. 

Your  servant  and  fellow-citizen, 
John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  JAMES  MOORHEAD,  ESQ.,  MERCER,    PEMF. 
Washington,  23  December,  1832. 

Sir : — Mr.  Banks,  the  worthy  representative  of 
your  district,  delivered  to  me  your  friendly  letter 
of  the  26th  of  last  month.  I  have,  since  the 
commencement  of  the  session  of  congress,  regu- 
larly received  the  numbers  of  the  Mercer  Lumi- 
nary, and  have  observed  with  pleasure  the  zeal  and 
assiduity  with  which  it  disseminates  the  light  of 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  159 

Antimasomy.  To  that  cause  I  am  devoted,  be- 
cause I  believe  it  to  be  the  cause  of  pure  morals 
and  of  truth.  Until  the  murder  of  Morgau  I 
had  very  little  knowledge  of  the  institution  of 
Freemasonry,  except  as  an  occasional  witness  of 
its  cliildish  pageantry  and  the  mock  solemnity  of 
its  processions.  These  I  believed  to  be  harmless, 
and  I  gave  willing  credit  to  their  boastful  profes- 
sions of  benevolence  and  charity.  Very  soon 
after  the  Morgan  catastrophe,  however,  the  Ma- 
sonic obligations  were  disclosed  to  me  in  the  escape 
of  Col.  William  King,  from  the  pursuit  of  justice, 
in  the  territory  of  Arkansas.  I  saw  thoir  opera- 
tion without  being  able  to  punish  the  offender  or 
even  judicially  to  authenticate  the  offense.  King 
escaped  by  the  connivance  of  Masonic  obligations 
paramount  to  the  laws  of  the  land.  He  re-apj)ear- 
ed  afterward  upon  the  theater  of  his  guilt,  and, 
as  you  know,  died  suddenly  on  the  disclosing  of 
facts  which  he  had  flattered  himself  were  hidden 
from  every  person  under  the  canopy  of  heaven, 
without  the  pale  of  Masonic  oaths  and  penalties. 
Other  evidences  of  the  practical  effect  of  Masonic 
obligations  soon  revealed  themselves  to  me  in  the 
forms  of  secret  slander  and  perjury.  But  of  the 
multitude  of  atrocious  crimes  committed,  first  in 
the  conspiracy  which  terminated  in  the  murder 
of  Morgan,  and  for  five  years  afterward  in  baf- 


160  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

fling  and  defeating  the  laws  of  the  state  in  their 
efforts  to  bring  the  murderers  to  justice,  I  had  a 
very  imperfect  idea  till  the  publication,  of  Col. 
Stone's  book. 

There  remained  yet  not  any  reasonable  doubt, 
but  some  deficiency  of  evidence,  with  regard  to 
the  essential,  inherent,  and  indelible  viciousness 
of  the  Masonic  obligations,  in  the  solemn  protes- 
tations of  the  adhering  Masons,  that  those  obliga- 
tions were  falsely  represented  in  the  books  of 
Bernard  and  Avery  Allyn ;  in  the  bold  assevera- 
tions that  no  such  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties 
existed  ;  and  in  reiterated  declarations,  couched 
in  delusive  generalities,  that  they  had  never  taken 
any  oath  or  obligation  inconsistent  with  their 
duties  to  their  country  or  their  religion,  but 
ah\'ays  without  disclosing  what  were  the  terms  of 
those  which  they  had  taken.  The  investigation 
by  a  committee  of  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island 
finally  brought  out  the  obligations  of  ten  degrees, 
as  avowed  to  be  practiced  in  the  lodges,  chapters, 
and  encampments  of  that  state.  It  exposed  them 
in  their  hideous  deformity,  and  took  from  the 
defenders  of  Masonry  their  last  refuge  of  prevar- 
ication. 

It  was  to  show  them  in  their  naked  nature, 
divested  of  all  sophisticated  explanations,  and  all 
mental  equivocations,  that  I  wrote  the  four  letters 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  161 

on  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  which  you  have 
republished  in  the  Luminary.     I  am  happy  that 
they  have  met  your  approbation. 
I  am,  with  much  respect. 

Your  friend  and  fellow-citizen, 
John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  EDWARD  LIVINGSTON,  ESQ. 

Washington,  io  April,  1833. 

Sir: — In  the  National  Intelligencer  of  the  22d 
of  April,  1830,  there  appears  an  address,  there 
said  to  have  been  delivered  by  you,  to  the  General 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  upon 
your  installation  to  the  high  Masonic  official  dig- 
nity of  their  general  grand  high-priest. 

In  that  address,  after  a  feeling  and  elegant  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  grateful  emotions  which 
you  experienced  on  being  apprized  of  the  unex- 
pected and  unsolicited  distinction  which  had  been 
conferred  upon  you  by  your  election  to  that  office, 
and  a  pathetic  allusion  to  that  period  of  life 
when  all  worldly  honors  fade  into  the  "  sear  and 
yellow  leaf,"  you  assign  as  your  reason  for  accept- 
ing the  dignity  and  the  charge  of  presiding  over 
an  association  in  whose  labors  you  had  "  for  many 
U 


162  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

years  retired  from  any  participation,"  that  your 
refusal  might  have  been  "  ascribed  to  an  unmanly 
fear  of  encounterins:  the  clamor  raised  against 
our  institution  [of  Freemasonry],  or  to  a  conscious- 
ness that  the  vile  and  absurd  accusations  against 
it  were  well  founded.  Either  of  these  suspicions 
[you  added]  would  have  injured  not  my  charac- 
ter only,  but  that  of  the  whole  fraternity." 

You  further  assigned  an  additional  motive  for 
overcoming  the  reluctance  suggested  by  the  con- 
sciousness that  your  long  retirement  had  rendered 
you  less  fit  to  fill  than  many  others,  equally  well 
qualified  in  other  respects ;  and  this  motive  was 
your  confidence  in  the  Masonic  skill  and  excellent 
character  of  the  worthy  companion  who  was,  at 
the  same  solemnity,  installed  with  you  as  your 
deputy  general  grand  high-priest. 

After  these  ceremonial  preliminaries,  you  pro- 
ceed as  follows ; 

^^  Companions  and  Brethren :  For  the  first  time 
in  the  history  of  our  country,  persecution  has 
raised  itself  against  our  honorable  fraternity.  It 
does  not,  indeed,  as  in  other  countries,  incarcerate 
our  bodies,  strain  them  on  the  wheel,  or  consume 
them  in  the  flames  of  the  inquisition;  but  its  at- 
tacks are,  to  an  honorable  mind,  as  unjustifiable. 
It  assails  our  reputation  with  the  blackest  calum-' 
nies;  strives,  by  the  most  absurd   inventions^  to 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  163 

deprive  us  of  tlie  confidence  of  our  fellow-citi- 
zens ;  belies  the  principles  of  our  order,  and 
represents  us  as  bound  to  each  other  by  obliga- 
tions subversive  of  civil  order,  and  hostile  to 
religion." 

Mr.  Livingston:  In  molding  this  personified 
image  of  persecution,  did  it  never  occur  to  you 
that  the  foul  and  midnight  hag,  who  justly  bears 
that  name,  is  never  to  herself  more  deliciously 
occupied  than  in  charging  persecution  upon 
others  ?  In  those  Holy  Scriptures,  which  it  is 
your  ofiicial  duty  to  read  and  expound  to  your 
companions  and  brethren  of  the  Royal  Arch,  it  is 
related,  that  when  your  predecessor  in  the  high- 
priesthood,  Ananias,  commanded  that  Paul  should 
be  smitten  on  the  mouth,  the  apostle  of  the  gen- 
tiles turned  upon  him  and  said,  "  Q-od  shall  smite 
thee,  thou  whited  wall ;  for  sittest  thou  to  judge 
me  after  the  law,  and  commandest  me  to  be  smit- 
ten contrary  to  the  law  ?"  I  will  not  imitate  this 
exclamation  of  Paul,  for  which  he  himself  apol- 
ogized when  informed  that  it  was  the  high-priest 
to  whom  he  spoke;  but  I  will  ask  you,  sir,  to 
reconsider  this  charge  of  persecution,  imputed 
by  you  in  the  face  of  the  world,  not  indeed  to 
any  individual  by  name,  but  to  a  numerous  and 
respectable  class  of  your  fellow-citizens  in 
nine  or  ten  states  of  the  Union, — to  all  that  class 


164  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONW 

of  citizens  known  in  the  community  by  the  de 
nomination  of  Antimasons.  I  am  one  .of  them 
myself.  As  respects  myself  I  know — as  regards 
the  whole  party  I  firmly  believe — that  in  the  above 
passage  of  your  address  you  did  them  great 
injustice.  In  charging  them  with  calumny  you 
calumniated  them  yourself.  In  accusing  them  of 
persecution,  you  are  yourself  the  persecutor. 

I  will  not  say  that  on  your  part  this  persecution 
and  calumny  were  willful.  You  had  for  many 
years  retired  from  any  participation  in  the  labors 
of  the  craft.  If  this  fact  is  not  very  pregnant  of 
evidence,  that,  in  your  estimation,  the  labors  of 
the  craft  were,  when  you  participated  in  them,  of 
a  high  order  of  public  usefulness  or  private 
beneficence,  it  exculpates  you  at  least  from  all  par- 
ticipation in  labors  of  evil.  You  did  not  know 
what  new  labors  had,  most  especially  in  your  own 
native  State  of  IlTew  York,  and  extensively  else- 
where, been  ingrafted  upon  the  old  stock.  You 
did  not  know  the  additions  which  had  been,  in 
many  lodges  and  chapters,  made  to  the  whole 
graduation  of  your  oaths.  The  tree  had  not 
borne  all  its  fruits.  The  Morgan  tragedy  had 
been  enacted,  and  more  than  three  years  of  im- 
punity had,  in  evasion  or  defiance  of  the  laws  of 
nature,  of  justice,  and  of  the  land,  sheltered  the 
guilt  of  its  perpetrators ;  but  you  did  not   know, 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  165 

nor  was  there  mortal  out  of  the  pale  of  your  pen- 
alties who  did  know,  the  catalogue  of  Masonic 
crimes  which  had  been  committed  in  affiliated 
connection  with  that  Masonic  murder; — you  know 
them  not  to  this  day.  Multitudes  of  them  are, 
and  will  ever  remain,  secreted  under  the  seal  of 
the  fifth  libation,  and  under  the  obligation  to  con- 
ceal from  every  person  under  the  canopy  of 
heaven,  the  secrets  of  a  worthy  brother, — mur- 
der and  treason  not  excepted,  or  excepted  at  the 
option  of  the  swearer.  More  than  a  year  after 
your  address  was  delivered  the  grand  lodge  of 
Rhode  Island  published  a  defense  of  Masonry 
against  those  same  charges  which  they,  like  you, 
pronounced  persecutions  and  calumnies.  Yet, 
even  then,  they  said  that  whether  Morgan  had 
been  murdered  or  not,  they  could  not  tell, /or  they 
knew  nothing  about  it.  They  knew  nothing  about 
it!  They  knew  nothing  about  the  facts  proved- 
in  the  judicial  tribunals  of  ISTew  York,  not  only 
by  clouds  of  witnesses,  but  by  the  confessions  and 
pleas  of  guilty  of  several  among  the  conspirators 
themselves.  The  grand  lodge  of  Rhode  Island, 
one  and  all,  knew  nothing  about  all  this,  and  yet 
they  published  a  defense  of  Masonry,  and  pro- 
nounced persecution  and  calumny,  the  denuncia- 
tions of  virtuous  indignation  against  those  very 
judicially  authenticated  facts,  about  which  they 
declared  that  they  knew  nothing. 


166  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

Sir,  your  address  to  your  Royal  Arch  compan 
ions  had  more  of  candor  or  more  of  discretion 
You  advised  them  that  calumnies  so  absurd  as 
those  uttered  against  you  (the  Masons)  were  best 
met  by  dignified  silence  !  And  yet  you  did  not 
meet  them  by  dignified  silence ;  you  pronounced 
them  from  your  exalted  seat  of  general  grand 
high-priest  of  the  order,  black  and  absurd 
calumnies,  and  you  attributed  them  all  to  per- 
secution. 

But  if  I  am  bound  to  acknowledge  the  candor 
and  discretion  of  your  advice  to  your  brethren  to 
meet  the  charges  against  their  institution  with 
dignified  silence,  I  can  not  offer  an  equal  tribute 
of  commendation  to  your  consistency,  when  after 
all  your  bitter  complaints  of  calumny  and  perse- 
cution, you  urge  them  to  "be  just,  and  refleet 
how  much  cause  for  excitement  has  been  given 
by  the  outrageous  abduction  of  a  citizen  dragged 
from  his  family  and  friends,  in  the  midst  of  a 
populous  state,  followed  up,  most  probably,  by  the 
perpetration  of  a  most  atrocious  murder." 

You  then  remind  them  that  "  it  was  natural, 
from  all  the  circumstances  of  this  most  extraordi- 
nary and  savage  act,  to  believe  that  it  was  com- 
mitted by  Masons." 

Sir,  was  it  not  committed  by  Masons  ? 

"  It  was  in  human  nature, — unenlightened  and 


ON   FKEEMASONRY.  167 

iwejudiced  human  nature, — to  impute  the  cause  of 
the  offense  to  some  secret  tenet  of  the  fraternity, 
and  to  involve  them  in  the  criminality  of  their 
guilty  members." 

Why  the  words  unenlightened  and  prejudiced? 
Was  not  some  secret  tenet  of  the  fraternity  the 
cause  of  the  offense  ?  That  tenet  of  the  frater- 
nity, secret  at  the  time  of  the  murder  of  Morgan, 
is  secret  now  no  longer.  For  the  mere  intention 
to  reveal  it,  Morgan  paid  the  penalty  of  his  En- 
tered Apprentice's  oath;  his  book  revealed  it 
after  his  death.  Its  revelation  was  authenticated 
on  the  4th  of  July,  1828,  by  the  testimony,  not  of 
unenlightened  and  prejudiced  human  nature,  but 
of  tlie  Le  R03'  convention  of  seceding  Masons, — 
men  who  themselves  had  taken  these  oaths,  and 
declared  themselves  subject  to  the  penalties 
which  had  been  inflicted  by  Masonic  hands  upon 
Morgan. 

"It  was  natural  that  ambitious  men  should 
keep  up  the  excitement,  and  direct  it  against 
political  adversaries  for  their  own  elevation." 

Perhai)S  it  was.  You,  Mr.  Livingston,  are 
versed  in  the  ways  of  ambition  and  ambitious 
men.  You  know  their  propensity  to  keep  up  ex- 
citements, and  to  direct  them  against  political 
adversaries  for  their  own  elevation.  You  must 
know,  you  can  not  but  know,  that  Masonry  has 


168  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

been  used  by  ambitious  men  for  the  same  pur- 
poses. You  must  know  that  in  many  of  the  !N'ew 
York  lodges  the  promise  to  promote  a  brother's 
political  advancement  was  one  of  the  recent  ad- 
ditions to  the  Masonic  obligations.  You  may 
and  ought  to  know  that  wherever  the  spirit  of 
Antimasonry  has  arisen,  one  of  the  first  discov- 
eries made  by  it  has  been  that  wherever  a  lodge 
or  chapter  has  existed,  at  least  three  fourths  of 
all  the  elective  oflSces  in  the  place  were  held  by 
worthy  brethren  and  companions  of  the  craft, 
chosen  by  men,  multitudes  of  whom  knew  not 
themselves  the  influence  under  which  their  votes 
were  cast.  You  know,  too,  that  the  charge  of 
ambitious  and  selfish  motives  is  one  of  the  most 
vulgar  and  most  hacknied  imputations  of  all  am- 
bitious rivals  and  competitors  against  one  another. 
In  condescending  to  use  it  yourself  against  the 
A-utimasons,  you  certainly  gave  no  additional 
dignity  to  it;  and  as  a  defense  of  the  institution 
against  Antimasonry,  you  might  with  advantage 
to  yourself  have  remembered  your  advice  to  your 
brethren,  and  preferred  to  such  a  shield,  the 
armor  of  dignified  silence. 

"  And  it  was  quite  natural  that  men  should  be 
found  simple  enough  not  to  see  through  their 
views,  credulous  enough  to  believe  their  absurd 
tales,  or  sufficiently  unprincipled  to  propagate 
them,  knowing  them  to  be  false." 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  169 

This  again  may  be  true.  Of  simple,  of  cred- 
ulous, and  of  unprincipled  men,  there  are  always 
numbers  in  every  community,  and  they  are  the 
natural  instruments  of  politicians  of  more  ambi- 
tion than  principle.  But,  in  this  respect,  as  in 
many  others,  Antimasonry  is  and  has  been  more 
sinned  against  than  sinning.  Simple  and  credu- 
lous men  have,  for  example,  been  told  by  the 
general  grand  high-priest  of  the  General  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  that  the 
charges  against  the  Masonic  institution  of  hav- 
ing had  some  secret  tenet,  which  was  the  cause 
of  the  murder  of  Morgan,  were  black  and  absurd 
calumnies,  invented  by  persecution,  and  which 
none  but  fools  and  cullies  could  believe,  and  none 
but  knaves  would  propagate.  Simple  and  credu- 
lous men  may  believe  these  assertions  of  the  gen- 
eral grand  high-priest,  because  they  are  made  by 
him,  and  because  his  character  gives  them  the 
weight  of  authority.  To  simple  and  credulous 
men,  the  highest  of  all  evidence  is  the  authority 
of  great  names,  and  accordingly  your  own  most 
plausible  answer  to  the  Antimasonic  charges 
against  your  institution,  is  an  appeal  to  the  great 
and  good  men  who  have  belonged  and  still  belong 
to  it. 

But,  sir,  this  is  not  sound  reasoning  to  influence 
the  minds   of  other  than  simple  and  credulous 


170  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

men.  The  question,  permit  me  to  say,  upon  the 
issue  which  I  am  about  to  take  with  you  is  not 
who — but  what — not  who  have  bound  themselves 
by  the  Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties, 
but  what  these  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties 
are.  What  is  their  nature  ?  and  lohat  have  been 
their  fruits  ? 

I^ow,  sir,  I  do  aver  that  "  the  cause  oi  the 
offense  " — that  is  the  murder  of  William  Morgan 
and  of  a  multitude  of  other  crimes  indissolubly 
connected  with  it, — was  a  secret  tenet  of  the 
fraternity — secret  then  but  no  longer  secret  now. 
It  consisted  in  the  obligation  and  penalty  of  the 
Entered  Apprentice's  oath.  It  was  the  secret  tenet 
of  initiation  to  the  Masonic  institution. 

This,  sir,  is  the  issue  which  I,  an  Antimuson, 
tender  to  you,  the  general  grand  high-priest  of 
the  General  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States.  I  call  upon  you,  sir,  in  that  capacity,  to 
sustain  the  charge  of  persecution  and  calumny 
made  by  you  in  your  address  to  your  brethren 
and  companions,  upon  your  installation,  against 
the  whole  body  of  Anti masons  in  the  United 
States,  and  to  sustain  the  institution  over  which 
you  preside,  against  the  charges  which  you  pro- 
nounce persecuting  and  calumnious. 

But  this,  sir,  is  not  my  whole  or  my  ultimate 
purpose.      I    do    conscientiously    and    sincerely 


ON    FKEEMASONRY.  171 

believe  that  the  order  of  Freemasonry,  if  not  the 
greatest,  is  one  of  the  greatest  moral  and  political 
evils  under  which  this  Union  is  now  laboring.  I 
farther  believe  that  the  primary  and  efficient  cause 
of  all  this  evil  is  that  same  rite  of  iyiitiation;  for 
as  all  the  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  of  the 
subsequent  degrees  are  but  variations,  expansions, 
and  aggravations  of  that  primitive  vice,  let  that 
be  once  abolished  and  all  the  rest  must  fall  with 
it ;  knock  away  the  underpinning,  and  the  whole 
scaffolding  must  come  to  the  ground. 

With  this  address,  I  have  the  honor  of  submit- 
ting to  you  a  pamphlet  containiug  four  letters  on 
the  Entered  Apprentine's  oath.  You  will  perceive, 
sir,  that  they  arraign  that  act  of  initiation  upon 
five  distinct  charges,  as  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
religion,  to  the  laws  of  morality,  to  the  laws  of 
the  land. 

Those  letters  have  been  now  more  than  six 
months  published.  Their  existence  has  not  been 
noticed  by  any  of  the  newspapers  of  the  country 
under  Masonic  influence;  but  they  have  been 
very  extensively  circulated  in  pamphlets,  and 
numerous  editions  of  them  have  been  issued  in 
several  of  the  states  of  the  Union.  They  have 
of  course  attracted  much  of  that  benevolence  and 
charity,  in  the  construction  of  motive,  for  which 
the  Masonic  order  is  so  conspicuous,  upon  the 


172  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

head  of  their  author,  but  no  attempt  has  to  my 
knowledge  been  made  to  answer  them.  They 
were  first  published  in  the  Commercial  Advertiser 
of  Kew  York,  and  addressed  to  its  editor.  Col. 
"William  L.  Stone,  known  to  you  as  a  distinguish- 
ed companion  of  your  order  in  the  degree  of 
a  Knight  Templar. 

I  have  expected  that  some  show  of  defense 
against  the  charges  in  those  letters  would  have 
been  made.  The  charges  are  grave, — they  are 
specific, — they  are  made  under  the  responsibility 
of  my  name.  And  now,  sir,  as  no  individual 
brother  or  companion  of  the  craft  has  been  will- 
ing to  undertake  its  defense,  I  call  upon  you,  as 
the  general  grand  high-priest  of  the  order  in 
these  United  States,  to  undertake  it.  I  call  upon 
you  the  more  freely,  because,  if  the  charges  are 
true,  there  is  a  debt  of  justice  and  of  reparation 
due  from  you  to  all  the  Antimasons  of  the  United 
States.  The  charges  are  in  part  the  same  with 
those  which  you  have  pronounced  absurd,  calum- 
nious, and  persecuting.  If,  upon  examination, 
you  find  them  true,  I  expect  from  your  candor  an 
acknowledgment  of  your  error ;  from  your  mag- 
nanimity, a  retraction  of  your  charges  against  the 
Antimasons. 

I  expect  more.     If,  upon  a  fair  'examination  of 
these  charges   against  the  Entered   Apprentice's 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  173 

oath,  obligation,  and  penalty,  you  should  find  your- 
self unable  to  defend  them  before  the  tribunal  of 
public  opinion;  if  you  should,  by  the  natural 
rectitude  and  intelligence  of  your  enlightened  and 
unprejudiced  mind,  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  first  initiatory  rite  of  Freemasonry  is  in  its 
own  nature  vicious,  immoral,  and  unlawful ;  that 
no  mental  reservation  can  excuse  it;  that  no  ex- 
planation can  change  its  nature  ;  that  no  plea  of 
nullity  can  purify  the  attainder  of  its  bloody  pur- 
port; then,  sir,  I  expect  that,  as  the  general 
grand  high-priest  of  the  order,  you  will  imme- 
diately advise  its  abolition,  or  at  least  recommend 
that  it  should  never  more  be  administered.  I  ask 
not  merely  of  the  grand  high-priest  of  Masonry, 
but  of  the  profound  and  eloquent  and  humane 
legislator  of  the  criminal  code  for  Louisiana  ;  I 
ask  of  him  the  abolition  forever  of  that  brutal 
penalty  of  death  by  torture  and  mutilation,  for 
the  disclosure  of  senseless  secrets ;  or  rather,  now, 
of  secrets  proclaimed  from  every  housetop  of  the 
land.  I  say  to  you,  in  the  language  of  the  Roman 
orator,  in  the  sentiment  of  a  heart  congenial 
with  your  own :  "Hanc  domesticam  crudelitatem 
tollite  ex  civitate ;  hanc  pati  nolite  diutius  in  hac 
republica  versari ;  quse  non  modo  id  habet  in  se 
raali,  quod  civem  atrocissime  sustulit,  verum 
etiam  hominibus  lenissimis  ademit  misericordiam. 


174  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

Kam  cum  omnibus  horis  aliquid  atrociter  fieri 
videmus,  aut  audimus ;  etiam  qui  natura  mitissimi 
sumus,  assiduitate  molestiarura  sensum  omnem 
humanitatis  ex  animis  amittimus."  * 

I  propose  to  address  you  upoa  this  subject 
again.  There  is  in  the  pamphlet  herewith  in- 
closed a  fifth  letter  addressed  to  Benjamin  Cowell, 
of  Rhode  Island,  containing  my  opinion  in  favor, 
to  a  certain  extent,  of  what  has  been  called  polit- 
ical Antimasonry,  As  this  principle  has  had,  and 
must  continue  to  have,  a  powerful  influence  upon 
the  policy  and  upon  the  history  of  this  Union,  it 
will  not  be  unworthy  of  your  consideration  in 
your  other  capacity  of  secretary  of  state  of  these 
United  States.  I  shall  endeavor  to  prove  to 
your  conviction  that  your  exhortation  to  the 
brethren  and  companions  of  your  order  through- 
out the  Union,  but  under  your  jurisdiction,  not  to 
he  tempted  to  the  slightest  interference  in  political 
parties,  has  been  and  must  be  unavailing  and 
nugatory,  that  so  long  as  you  adhere  to  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath, 

*  Banish  from  our  borders,  suffer  no  longer  to  prey  upon  our  vitals 
this  home-bred  cruelty  among  a  people  hitherto  renowned  for  the  merci- 
ful treatment  of  their  foreign  foes.  Its  greatest  evil  is  not  this  most 
atrocious  murder  of  a  free  citizen,  but  that  it  extinguishes  the  very 
sentiment  of  compassion  in  the  mildest  hearts.  For  when  our  eyes 
and  ears  are  hourly  tortured  with  the -sight  and  recital  of  deeds  of  hor- 
ror, they  cease  even  in  the  tenderest  natures  to  sympathize  with  huma>B 
calamity,  and  the  very  sense  of  humanity  is  obliterated  from  our  souls. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  175 

your  lodges  and  chapters  must  and  will  be  polit- 
ical caucuses,  and  tha,t  Masonry  will  be  the  signal 
for- political  proscription  to  one  party,  as  Antima- 
sonry  has  been  and  will  be  to  the  other. 
I  am,  very  respectfully,  sir. 

Your  fellow-citizen, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  EDWARD  LIVINGSTON,  ESQ. 

Philadelphia,  15  April,  1833. 
Sir: — In  a  former  letter  I  stated  to  you  the 
motives  and  purposes  by  which  I  was  induced  to 
address  you,  as  the  presiding  officer  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order  in  the  United  States,  through  the 
medium  of  the  press.     They  were — 

1.  To  defend  the  Antimasons  of  the  United 
States  from  severe  and  unjust  imputations  and 
charges  against  them,  preferred  by  you  in  your 
address  to  the  brethren  and  companions  of  the 
society  upon  your  installation  in  your  high  Ma- 
sonic dignity. 

2.  To  make,  distinctly,  specifically,  and  under 
the  responsibility  of  my  name,  the  charge  against 
the  institution  of  Freemasonry,  which  you  in  that 
address  had  pronounced  a  vile  and  absurd  calum- 


176  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

ny,  instigated  by  a  spirit  of  persecution,  unjustifi- 
able as  arbitrary  imprisonment  or  the  tortures  of 
the  inquisition,  namely,  that  "  the  cause  of  the 
offense,"  that  is,  of  the  murder  of  William  Mor- 
gan, and  of  a  multitude  of  other  crimes  connected 
with  it,  was  a  secret  tenet  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, consisting  in  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath, 
obligation,  and  penalty — the  first  rite  of  initiation 
in  the  Masonic  order. 

3.  To  transmit  to  you  four  letters  upon  that 
Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  obligation,  and  penal- 
ty, published  by  me  in  E'ovember  last,  and  in- 
tended to  prove  that  this  first  rite  of  initiation  to 
the  order  of  Freemasonry  is,  in  its  naked  nature, 
divested  of  mental  reservation,  stripped  of  the 
authority  of  great  names,  and  disarmed  of  the 
shield  of  fraudulent  explanation, — vicious,  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  God,  to  the  laws  of  humanity, 
to  the  laws  of  the  land. 

4.  To  call  upon  you,  as  the  head  and  chief  of 
the  whole  Masonic  brotherhood  of  the  United 
States,  to  sustain  your  charges  against  the  Anti- 
masons, — to  vindicate  the  purity,  the  humanity, 
the  lawfulness  of  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath, 
obligation,  and  penalty, — or  to  advise  and  recom- 
mend to  the  companions  and  brethren  under  your 
jurisdiction,  its  abolition.] 

This  last,  sir,  was  my  principal  and  ultimate 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  177 

object  in  addressing  you, — the  abolition  of  that 
disgraceful  initiatory  act  which  continues  the  vital 
essence  of  Freemasonry. 

I  intended  and  intend  no  disrespect  to  you. 
Admiring  your  talents,  concurring  in  many  of 
your  political  opinions,  and  believing  that  in  the 
discharge  of  your  official  duties  in  the  service  of 
the  one,  confederated  North  American  people, 
you  have  at  a  critical  moment  of  their  Union,  con- 
tributed much  to  its  preservation,  by  dashing 
from  their  lips  the  deadly  but  Circsean  cup  of 
nullification  and  secession,  my  confidence  in  your 
character  has  been  strengthened.  Giving  you  the 
credit  of  bold  resistance  to  dangerous  political 
errors,  and  of  intrepidity  in  the  honorable  un- 
dertaking of  redeeming  others  from  the  same,  I 
have  been  encouraged  to  hope  that  you  will  dis- 
cern the  pure  and  well-deserved  honor  which  will 
assuredly  await  your  name  in  after  ages,  if  you 
shall  avail  yourself  of  that  summit  of  Masonic 
dignity  which  you  have  attained,  by  prevailing 
upon  the  whole  association  to  discard  forever  the 
use  and  administration  of  those  horrible  invoca- 
tions of  ^he  name  of  a  merciful  God,  as  the  wit- 
ness to  promises  of  secrecy  to  things  no  longer 
secret  to  any  one,  under  penalties  of  death  in 
every  variety  of  form  which  a  fury  could  devise, 
or  a  demon  could  consummate. 
12 


178  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

One  of  those  oatlis — tliat  of  the  Koyal  Arch 
Companion — it  is  your*  special  province,  as  the 
grand  high-priest  of  the  order,  to  administer  to 
every  Most  Excellent  Master,  who,  not  satisfied 
with  this  superlative  excellence,  still  pushes  for- 
ward in  search  of  more  light, — it  is  the  seventh 
of  that  series  of  blasphemies,  or  of  calls  upon  the 
name  of  God  in  vain,  by  which  the  Masonic 
aspirant  purchases  the  floods  of  light  wdiich  pour 
npon  him  from  every  successive  degree.  It  is  in 
this  decree  that  you  turn  that  scene  of  awful 
solemnity,  the  calling  of  Moses  by  God  himself 
in  the  burning  bush,  into  a  theatrical  representa- 
tion, and  actually  make  your  candidate  take  off 
his  shoes,  declaring  the  place  on  which  he  stands 
to  be  holy  ground.  This  representation  I  know 
is  emblematic,  and  is  explained  by  you  to  your 
candidate  so  to  be.  The  solemnities  of  admission 
to  the  Royal  Arch  are  deeply  impressive,  and 
therefore  the  more  exceptionable  by  their  mixture 

*  It  appears  from  Allyn's  Ritual  that  it  is  not  the  high-priest,  but  the 
principal  sojourner  of  a  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  who  administers  the  oath 
and  oblisrntion  to  the  tenm  of  candidates  whom  he  leails  by  their  halter 
to  the  altar.  But  the  high-priest  gravely  declares  to  them  that  an  old 
chest  which  he  receives,  icith  oreat  surprise,  from  the  principlil  sojourner, 
is  thenrk  of  the  cm^ennnt  of  God.  He  takes  out  of  this  chest  an  old  book, 
which  upon  beginning  to  read  he  finds  to  be  "  the  book  of  the  law," 
long  lost,  but  now  found,  and  he  solemnly  declares  to  the  candidates 
that  '''the  world  is  indchtnl  to  Mnsonry  for  the  preservation  of  this  sncred 
volume."  How  edifying  must  this  solemnity  be  to  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  who  take  part  in  it  I 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  179 

in  the  same  ceremonies  with  childish  fables  and 
gross  impostures.  You  commence  with  a  fervent 
prayer  to  God ;  you  open  the  Royal  Arch  Chap- 
ter, and  read  to  the  three  candidates  for  admis- 
sion (for  so  many  you  must  have)  a  great  part  of 
the  139th  psalm.  You  interrogate  them,  and  bid 
them  travel  three  successive  times,  and  on  their 
return  you  read  portions  of  the  141st,  142d,  and 
143d  psalms.  You  then  order  them  to  be  con- 
ducted to  the  altar,  and  there  you  administer  to 
them  the  Royal  Arch  oath.  This  is  the  oath, 
which,  in  many  of  the  chapters  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  pledges  the  candidate  to  conceal  the 
secrets  of  a  Royal  Arch  companion,  communica- 
ted to  him  as  such, — murder  and  treason  not  ex- 
cepted. It  pledges  him  also  to  assist  a  brother 
companion  to  extricate  him  from  his  difficulties, 
whether  he  be  right  or  wrong.  In  other  chapters 
the  engagements  are  less  onerous.  They  vary  in 
almost  every  chapter.  In  an  authentic  copy  of 
the  manuscripts  mentioned  by  Col.  Stone  in  his 
letters  on  Masonry  and  Antimasonry,  one  of  the 
promises  of  this  degree  is  to  support,  protect,  and 
defend  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  even  with  the  sword 
if  necessity  requires.  But  in  whatever  form  the 
oath  is  administered,  its  promises,  whether  more 
or  less  comprehensive  or  exceptionable,  are  all 
made  with  invocation  of  the  name  of  God ;  and 


180  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

all  under  no  less  penalty  than  to  have  the  swear- 
er's skull  smitten  off,  and  his  brains  exposed  to 
the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun.  This,  sir,  is  the 
penalty  under  which  you  require  of  the  candidate 
for  the  Royal  Arch  degree  to  swear  that  he  will 
keep  all  the  secrets  of  the  order  and  of  its  com- 
panions and  brethren,  and  that  he  will  perform 
the  other  obligations  appertaining  to  that  degree. 
You  deliberately  pronounce,  word  by  word, 
causing  the  candidate  to  repeat  them  after  you, 
the  words  of  this  oath,  promise,  and  penalty, 
closing  with  the  adjuration,  So  help  me  God,  and 
keep  me  steadfast  to  this  my  oath  of  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason.  And  before  he  can  be  qualified  to  take 
upon  himself  this  obligation  he  must  have  had 
six  similar  oaths  administered  to  him,  and  have 
pledged  himself  to  them,  so  help  him  God,  under 
no  less  penalties  than — ■ 

1.  To  have  his  throat  cut  across  from  ear  to  ear, 
his  tongue  torn  out  by  the  roots  and  buried  (liis 
tongue  or  his  body)  in  the  rough  sands  of  the 
sea,  where  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in 
twenty-four  hours; 

2.  To  have  his  left  breast  cut  open,  his  heart 
torn  out  and  cast  away  to  be  devoured  by  vultures. 
[^  3.  To  have  his  body  severed  in  two  by  the 
midst,  his  bowels  burned  to  ashes,  and  scatter- 
ed to  the  winds. 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  181 

The  three  succeeding  penalties  are  of  the  same 
character,  equally  cruel  and  inhuman. 

All  these  penalties  William  Morgan  had  incur- 
red by  writing  the  secrets  and  mysteries  of  the 
craft  for  publication.  If  it  were  possible  to  con- 
centrate upon  one  human  being  the  torture  of 
them  all,  the  agonies  of  that  mortal  would  not  be 
more  prolonged  or  more  excruciating  than  was 
the  punishment  inflicted  upon  "William  Morgan, 
lie  was  seized  by  Masonic  ruffians  at  noonday, 
hurried  away  from  a  dependent  wife  and  infant 
children,  by  a  warrant  upon  a  false  charge  of 
larceny,  taken  out  at  thirty  miles  distant  from  his 
abode — taken  out  upon  the  day  hallowed  to  the 
worship  of  God, — he  was  carried  into  another 
county,  and  discharged  as  innocent  the  moment 
he  was  brought  to  trial.  Then  forthwith  arrested 
again  for  a  debt  of  two  dollars,  imprisoned  for 
two  days,  though  he  offered  his  coat  in  payment 
of  the  debt ;  finally  discharged  again  in  the  dark- 
ness of  night,  by  an  impostor  under  the  guise  of 
friendship,  and,  immediately  upon  issuing  from 
prison,  seized  again,  under  cover  of  the  night,  by 
concerted  signals,  between  the  man-stealers  of 
the  lodge  and  of  the  chapter — gagged  to  stifle  his 
cries  for  aid,  forced  into  a  coach  and  transported, 
by  changes  of  horses  and  carriages  prepared  at 
every  change  beforehand  for  his  reception,  one 


182  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

hundred  and  fifty  miles,  there  lodged  in  solitary 
confinement  within  the  walls  of  an  old  abandon- 
ed fortress,  there  detained  five  days  and  nights, 
under  perpetual  threats  of  instant  death,  subject 
to  uninterrupted  indignity  and  abuse — denied  the 
light  of  heaven  in  his  cell,  denied  the  use  of  a 
Bible,  for  which  he  earnestly  entreated,  and 
finally,  at  dead  of  night,  transported  by  four 
Royal  Arch  companions  of  the  avenging  craft  to 
the  wide  channel  of  the  Niagara  River,  and  there 
sunk  to  the  bottom  of  that  river.  Nine  days 
were  occupied  in  the  execution  of  this  Masonic 
sentence.  At  least  three  hundred  worthy  brethren 
and  companions  of  the  order  were  engaged  as 
principals  or  accessories  in  the  guilt  of  this  clus- 
ter of  crimes, — and  this,  Mr.  Livingston,  is  "  the 
offense,"  the  "cause"  of  which  I  aver  to  be  the 
then  secret  tenet  of  the  fraternity,  the  oath,  the 
obligation,  and  penalty  of  initiation  to  the  myster- 
ies of  the  craft. 

I  attribute  them  all  to  the  Entered  Apprentice's 
oath,  because  I  consider  that  as  the  cause  and 
parent  of  all  the  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties 
of  all  the  subsequent  degrees.  My  ultimate  ob- 
ject in  these  addresses  being  to  obtain,  through 
your  influence  and  recommendation,  the  voluntary 
relinquishment  by  the  fraternity,  in  this  Union, 
of  these  oaths  and  penalties,  I  have  been  desirous 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  183 

of  narrowing  down  the  controversy  to  its  simplest 
point.  1  ask  of  you,  and  through  you  I  petition 
of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States  to  abolish  the  Royal  Arch  oath  and 
penalty  ;  to  require  of  all  the  chapters  under  your 
jurisdiction  to  cease  from  administering  that  and 
all  other  oaths  tainted  with  the  penalty  of  death, 
forever ;  and  this  I  trust  and  believe  will  induce 
the  lodges  to  follow  the  example  of  the  chapters, 
and  abolish  their  oaths  and  penalties  too,  forever. 
And  when  I  charge  the  Entered  Apprentice's 
oath  as  the  cause  of  the  offense, — that  is  of  the 
kidnapping  and  murder  of  William  Morgan, — I 
only  meet  and  repel  your  charge  against  the  Anti- 
masons,  as  persecutors  and  calumniators  of  your 
fraternity,  because  they  impute  that  oft'ense  to 
that  cause.  But  this  is  not  all  the  offense  of 
which  I  impeach  the  Masonic  penalties  as  the 
cause.  The  abduction  and  murder  of  Morgan  are 
but  two  of  a  multitude  of  crimes  connected  with 
that  series  of  transactions  of  which  they  formed 
a  part,  all  of  wliich  I  impute  to  the  same  cause. 
There  were  crimes  committed  against  Morgan 
before  his  abduction  and  murder — crimes  of  equal 
atrocity  committed  against  his  associate.  Miller, — 
crimes  committed  after  the  murder  of  Morgan,  to 
shield,  and  screen,  and  protect,  and  aid,  and  abet 
its  perpetrators, — crimes  committed  by  Masonic 


184  LETTERS  AND  OPINIONS 

sheriffs  in  returning  juries,  —  crimes  committed 
by  Masonic  witnesses,  some  in  standing  obstinate- 
ly mute,  and  others  in  refusing  to  give  the  testi- 
mony required  of  them  by  the  laws  of  the  land, — 
crimes  committed  by  Masonic  jurors  in  returning 
false,  or  in  refusing  to  return  true  verdicts.  All 
these  I  charge  to  the  same  cause ;  and  not  the 
least  among  them  is  a  false  and  calumnious  im- 
putation upon  the  character  and  good  name  of 
your  own  immediate  predecessor,  in  the  office  of 
general  grand  high-priest  of  the  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  and  then  gov- 
ernor of  the  State  of  New  York — an  imputation 
which  embittered  the  last  days  of  his  life.  It 
must  bo  known  to  you  that  one  of  the  principal 
conspirators  against  Morgan  gave  out  among  his 
associates,  to  stinmlate  their  faltering  courage  to 
the  deed  of  horror,  that  he  had  a  letter  from  the 
general  grand  high-priest  declaring  the  Morgan 
manuscripts  must  be  suppressed,  even  at  the  cost 
of  blood;  that  such  a  letter,  purporting  to  be 
from  Governor  Chnton,  was  exhibited,  and  that 
he,  the  governor  of  the  State  of  'New  York,  emi- 
nent and  distinguished  as  he  had  long  been,  was 
reduced  to  the  humiliating  necessity  of  directing 
that  an  action  of  slander  should  be  commenced  to 
vindicate  his  character  before  a  judicial  tribunal, 
where  Masonic  witnesses  have   since  been   sen- 


ON   FREEMASONRY,  185 

tenced  to  imprisonment  for  refusing  to  testify  to 
the  truth.  To  refute  this  calumny  upon  Governor 
Clinton  was  one  of  the  honorable  motives  of 
Colonel  Stone  for  the  publication  of  his  letters 
upon  Masonry  and  Antimasonry.  He  has,  in  my 
judgment,  done  it  effectually;  but  he  has  admit- 
ted and  shown  that  it  was  a  calumny  strictly  Ma- 
sonic,— a  natural  and  congenial  deduction  from 
the  same  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  which 
sunk  Morgan  in  the  waters  of  the  Niagara. 

In  the  address  to  your  companions  and  brethren 
at  your  installation,  which  has  been  the  occasion 
of  these  letters  to  you,  it  was  said  that  it  would 
be  not  more  unjust  and  absurd  to  impute  to  the 
Christian  religion  all  the  crimes  which  have  been 
committed  in  its  name,  than  it  is  to  charge  the 
institution  of  Freemasonry  with  the  outrages  of  a 
few  misguided  and  infatuated  members  of  the 
craft.  This  argument  is  familiar  to  all  the 
defenders  of  Freemasonry,  and  has  an  appearance 
of  plausibility;  but  it  is  fallacious.  All  the  crimes 
committed  in  the  name  and  under  color  of  the 
Christian  religion,  have  been  perpetrated  under 
false  or  erroneous  constructions  of  its  precepts. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  Christian  religion  to  war- 
rant them.  But  whenever  and  wherever  those 
false  and  erroneous  constructions  have  been  de- 
tected and  exposed    they   have   been   exploded. 


186  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

This  is  precisely  the  object  of  the  Antimasons  at 
this  time,  with  regard  to  the  errors  and  vices  of 
the  Masonic  institution.  They  are  to  the  order  of 
Freemasonry  what  the  Protestant  reformers  were 
to  the  Christian  religion.  Perhaps  an  analogy 
^  still  more  accurate  may  present  itself  to  your 
mind  between  the  letters  of  Blaise  Pascal  upon 
the  morals  of  the  order  of  Jesuits  and  those 
which  I  have  now  the  honor  of  addressing  to 
you  upon  the  morals  of  Masonry.  The  tenets 
which  in  the  name  of  the  Christian  religion  have 
drenched  the  world  in  blood,  were  spurious;  they 
formed  no  part  of  the  religion  itself.  The  tenets 
of  the  order  of  Jesuits,  detected  and  exposed  by 
Pascal,  were  not  universally  held  by  the  mem- 
bers of  that  institution;  they  formed  no  part  of 
the  constitution  of  the  society,  and  were  disclaim- 
ed by  its  brightest  ornaments.  The  order  of 
Jesuits  was  a  religious  community.  The  whole 
system  of  their  establishment  was  founded  upon 
the  precepts  of  Christ.  They  read  the  Bible  as 
assiduously,  and  with  devotion  as  profound  and 
sincere,  as  animates  the  grand  high-priest  of  the 
Royal  Arch,  upon  the  admission  of  a  triad  of  can- 
didates to  that  Masonic  degree.  And  yet  the 
order  of  Jesuits  has  been  abolished  by  the  head 
of  the  Catholic  Church  himself  for  holding  tenets 
and  adopting  practices  inconsistent  with  good 
morals. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  187 

But  the  vices  of  the  Masonic  institution  are  not 
false  and  erroneous  constructions  of  precepts  ill 
understood  and  susceptible  of  difierent  meanings. 
They  are  vices  inherent  in  the  institution  itself, 
and  not  corruptions  foisted  upon  it.  Cruel  and 
barbarous  as  was  the  penalty  inflicted  upon  Mor- 
gan, it  was  no  more  than  he  had  at  least  seven 
times  sworn  to  endure  for  violation  of  his  Masonic 
oaths.  His  murderers,  those  of  them  who  sur- 
vive, are  still  worthy  brethren  and  companious  of 
the  craft.  Kot  one  of  them  has  ever  been  ex- 
pelled from  lodge,  chapter,  or  encampment.  They 
have  been,  on  the  contrary,  cheered  with  the 
sympathies  and  relieved  from  the  funds  of  the 
grand  lodge  and  grand  chapters  of  Xew  York. 
You  perceive,  then,  that  whatever  analogy  there 
may  be  between  the  crimes  committed  by  the  cor- 
ruptions of  the  Christian  religion,  and  those  re- 
sulting from  Masonry,  the  inferences  to  be  drawn 
from  it  all  speak  trumpet-tongued  for  the  aboli- 
tion of  the  Masonic  oaths  and  penalties. 

In  concluding  this  letter  I  am  bound  to  make 
my  acknowledgments  for  a  poetical  parody  of  its 
predecessor,  which  I  have  seen  in  the  newspaper 
called  the  Globe,  and  by  which  I  see  that  you  are 
disposed  to  treat  the  subject  with  pleasantry. 
Well,  sir,  so  be  it.  The  Globe  is  generally  con- 
sidered as  your  political  organ.     In  that  country, 


188  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

which  it  is  said  you  are  about  to  visit,  you  may, 
perhaps,  at  your  hours  of  leisure  and  recreation, 
occasionally  frequent  the  first  dramatic  theater  in 
the  world,  and  there  be  entertained  with  exhibi- 
tions, not  of  Moses  in  the  burning  bush,  but  of 
some  of  the  masterpieces  of  the  human  mind  in 
the  form  of  comedies  of  Moliere.  You  may 
chaEce  to  see,  among  the  rest,  a  personage  upon 
the  stage  speaking  to  his  servant  and  about  to 
give  him  an  order,  when  the  servant  interrupts 
him  by  the  inquiry  whether  he  is  speaking  to  his 
coachman  or  to  his  cook.  A  similar  question  oc- 
curs to  me  with  regard  to  your  poet  laureate.  Is 
it  one  of  your  charioteers  of  the  department  of 
state,  or  a  scullion  of  the  kitchen  ?  In  either 
event,  I  commend  this  epistle  to  the  inspiration 
of  his  muse; — and  as  for  you,  sir,  when  the  time 
for  seriousness  shall  return,  and  you  shall  incline 
to  justify  yourself  from  the  charge  of  unjust  ac- 
cusation against  multitudes  of  your  fellow-citi- 
zens, or  to  vindicate  from  still  more  serious 
charges  he  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties  which 
it  is  among  your  official  Masonic  functions  to  ad- 
minister,— when  you  shall  return  to  the  grave 
and  solemn  and  religious  character  of  the  general 
grand  high-priest,  I  shall  hope  to  hear  from  you, 
in  verse  or  prose,  in  the  Globe  or  the  Intelligencer ^ 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  189 

at  your  option,  but  in  your  own  person,  and  with 
the  signature  of  your  name. 
I  am,  in  the  meantime, 

Very  respectfully,  your  fellow-citizen, 
John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  EDWARD  LIVINGSTON,  ESQ. 

Quincy,  i  May,  1833. 
Sir: — The  Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  obligation, 
and  penalty,  upon  which  I  took  to  animadvert, 
in  the  four  letters  to  Col.  William  L.  Stone,  a  copy 
of  which  was  transmitted  to  you,  with  the  first  of 
these  letters  to  yourself,  was  in  the  terms  of  that 
obligation  as  furnished  by  the  ofiicers  of  the  grand 
lodge  of  Rhode  Island  themselves,  to  the  commit- 
tee of  the  legislature  of  that  state,  appointed  to 
investigate  the  charges  against  the  institution 
which  had  been  made  since  the  murder  of  Morgan, 
and  which  they  and  you  pronounce  calumnious. 
The  obliarations  themselves  had  never  been  authen- 
ticated  by  the  authority  of  adhering  Masons,  until 
they  were  produced  by  the  ofiicers  of  the  grand 
lodge  and  grand  chapter,  at  the  peremptory  requi- 
sition of  the  legislative  committee.  They  were 
generally  considered  by  Masons  as  constituting 
essential  parts  of  the  mysteries  of  the  craft,  and 


190  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

included  strictly  within  the  promise  never  to  write, 
print,  cut,  carve,  paint,  stain  or  engrave  them.  In 
the  practice  of  the  chapters  and  lodges,  the  oaths 
are  all  administered  by  rote,  and  pass  by  tradition 
alone.  This  is  of  course  the  cause  ot  the  differen- 
ces in  the  phraseology  of  the  oaths  as  administered 
by  different  persons.  It  is  one  of  the  great  inher- 
ent vices  of  the  institution.  It  affords  constant 
opportunity  and  frequent  temptation  to  every 
chapter  and  lodge  to  make  additions  to  the  prom- 
ises pledged  by  the  recipient  of  each  degree. 

The  manuscript  obligations  furnished  by  the 
grand  chapter  and  grand  lodge  of  Rhode  Island 
were  drawn  up  and  reduced  to  writing  for  the  oc- 
casion. The  grand  lodge  had  previously  pub- 
lished a  defense  of  Masonry,  stoutly  denying  that 
there  was  anything  in  the  Masonic  obligations 
contrary  to  religion,  morals,  or  the  laws  of  the 
land ;  but  carefully  abstaining  from  any  statement 
of  what  they  were.  They  had  used  that  notable 
device  of  explaining  the  penalty  of  death /or  re- 
vealing the  secrets  of  the  craft,  or  of  any  of  its 
members,  as  meaning  only  a  promise  to  suffer 
death  rather  than  reveal  them.  They  had  ex- 
pounded and  explained  and  denied  the  several 
parts  and  parcels  of  the  Masonic  obligations,  till 
they  had  made  them  all  as  innocent  as  their  lamb- 
skin aprons.    They  had  especially  denied,  with 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  191 

abundance  of  indignation,  that  they  had  ever  ad- 
ministered or  taken  the  oath  to  conceal  the  secrets 
of  a  brother  Mason — "murder  and  treason  not 
excepted."  These  words,  or  others  equivalent  to 
them,  are  stated,  in  Elder  Bernard's  Light  on  Ma- 
sonry, and  in  Avery  Allyn's  Ritual,  to  form  a  part 
of  the  Royal  Arch  obligation.  They  are  certified 
as  such  by  the  convention  of  seceding  Masons, 
held  at  Le  Roy,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1828,  twenty 
three  of  whom  had  taken  this  oath;  and  they 
have  since  been  attested  by  adhering  Masons,  upon 
trials  before  judicial  tribunals  in  the  State  of  ISTew 
York.  They  are  not  in  the  Royal  Arch  obliga- 
tion reported  by  the  grand  chapter  of  Rhode  Is- 
land; but  in  the  Master  Mason's  obligation,  re- 
ported by  the  grand  lodge.  Among  th-e  promises 
of  admission  to  that  degree  are  the  following 
words, — "  That  I  will  keep  a  brother's  secrets  as 
my  own,  when  committed  to  me  in  charge  as  such, 
murder  and  treason  excepted."  This,  of  course, 
is  a  pledge  of  immunity,  for  all  other  crimes,  but 
it  does  except  murder  and  treason.  So  said 
the  grand  lodge  of  Rhode  Island.  Yet  even  in 
that  state,  Nathan  Whiting,  an  attorney  and 
counsellor  at  law,  who  had  taken  the  degree  in 
the  lodge  at  East  Greenwich,  and  had  been  master 
of  that  lodge,  testified  that  in  the  Master's  de- 
gree, after  "murder  and  treason  excepted,"  the 


192  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

usual  form  was  to  add  "<xnc?  that  at  my  option"  — 
and  what  the  difference  is  between  that,  and 
"murder  and  treason  not  excepted,"  I  leave  as  a 
problem  in  morals  for  Masonic  casuists  to  solve. 

In  the  seventh  of  Col.  Stone's  Letters  upon  Ma- 
sonry, page  QQ,  referring  to  the  disagreement  in 
the  phraseology  of  the  obligations,  as  given  in 
different  places,  he  makes  mention  of  a  manuscript 
then  in  his  possession,  containing  copies  of  the 
obligations  of  the  several  degrees,  as  they  were 
given  twenty  years  before  in  the  lodge  and  chapter 
of  an  eastern  city— copied  from  the  manuscript  of 
a  distinguished  gentleman  who  had  been  master  of 
the  lodge  and  high-priest  of  the  chapter.  The 
forms,  says  Col.  Stone,  are  the  same  that  were 
used  in  that  city  for  a  long  series  of  years;  and 
when  Royal  Arch  Masonry  was  introduced  into 
RochesteVj  in  the  State  of  New  York,  these  formSy 
from  these  identical  papers,  were  then  and  there  intro- 
duced and  adopted. 

There  is  at  this  passage  a  reference  to  a  note  in 
the  appendix,  stating  it  to  have  been  the  original 
intention  of  Col.  Stone  to  insert  all  the  obligations 
contained  in  that  manuscript,  in  his  text;  but  that 
he  was  compelled  to  suppress  them  from  the  un- 
foreseen extent  of  his  work.  He  observes  that 
neither  of  the  obligations  in  the  first  three  de- 
grees, in  those  manuscripts,  is  more  than  half  us 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  193 

long  as  those  disclosed  by  Morgan,  and  in  common 
use.  He  further  adds  that  these  manuscripts  give 
a  more  sensible  and  intelligible,  and  a  less  excep- 
tionable account  of  the  seven  degrees  of  Masonry, 
than  any  other  work  he  had  seen;  and  he  con- 
cludes by  observing  that  when  Morgan  was  at  Roch- 
ester ^  these  pa'pers  ivere  there,  and  already  written  to 
his  hands. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Col.  Stone  did  not 
adhere  to  his  first  intention  of  publishing  these 
obligations,  or  rather  that  he  did  not  insert  the 
whole  manuscript  in  his  appendix.  I  have  ob- 
tained it  from  him,  and  annex  hereto  the  three 
obligations  as  there  recorded,  of  the  Entered  Ap- 
prentice, [the  Fellowcraffc,  and  the  Master  Mason. 
It  will  be  found  upon  examination,  that  although 
truly  represented  by  him  as  perhaps  not  more 
than  half  so  long  as  the  same  obligations  in  Mor- 
gan's and  Bernard's  books,  they  lose  nothing  of 
pith  and  moment  by  the  retrenchment  of  words. 
They  were  the  forms  used  at  Rochester,  and  no 
other  Masonic  institution  in  the  state  was  more 
deeply  implicated  in  the  tragedy  of  Morgan's  kid- 
napping and  murder,  than  that  same  chapter  at 
Rochester.  Now,  in  the  Entered  Apprentice's 
oath  of  this  manuscript,  the  promise  is  expressly 
and  explicitly  to  keep  and  conceal  the  secrets  of 
Masons  as  well  as  Masonry.     The  penalty  is  the 

13 


194  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

same  as  that  reported  by  the  grand  lodge  of  Khode 
Island,  but  in  the  lecture  to  the  candidate  on  his 
admission  there  is  in  the  manuscript  an  explana- 
tion of  the  meaning  of  the  penalty,  which  not 
only  utterly  falsifies  the  explanation  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Masons,  so  strangely  accepted  and  coun- 
tenanced by  the  majority  report  of  the  legislative 
investigating  committee,  but  proves  that  the  mur- 
derers of  Morgan  understood  but  too  well  the  real 
character  of  the  obligation. 

In  this  Entered  Apprentice's  lecture,  the  candi- 
date, after  going  through  the  forms  of  admission, 
is  examined  by  the  master,  upon  interrogatories 
witli  regard  to  the  meaning  of  all  the  ceremonies 
through  which  he  has  passed.  Upon  giving  the 
account  of  his  admission  at  the  door,  the  follow- 
ing, word  for  word,  are  the  questions  put  to  him 
by  the  Master,  and  his  answers: 

Q.  "What  did  you  next  hear?" 

A.  "One  from  within,  saying  with  an  audible 
voice,  Let  him  enter." 

Q.  "How  did  you  enter?" 

A.  "  Upon  the  point  of  a  sword,  spear,  or  other 
warlike  instrument,  presented  to  my  naked  left 
breast,  accompanied  with  this  expression,  Do  you 
feel?" 

Q.  "  llTour  answer?'' 

A.  «Ido." 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  195 

Q.  "What  was  next  said?" 

A.  "Let  this  be  a  prick  to  your  conscience,  a 
shield  to  your  faith,  and  instant  death  in  case  you 
revolt.'' 

Yes,  sir,  this  is  the  explanation  given  to  the 
Entered  Apprentice,  at  the  time  of  his  admission 
to  the  degrees,  of  the  penalty  under  which  he 
binds  himself  by  his  oath-s-this  was  the  formula 
used  in  Connecticut  more  than  twenty -five  years 
since,  and  thence  introduced  into  Rochester,  in 
the  State  of  lN"ew  York.  Who  shall  say  that  the 
murderers  of  Morgan  misunderstood  the  import 
of  the  Entered  Apprentice's  obligation  ? 

And  in  this  same  manuscript  of  the  forms  of 
admission  used  at  Rochester,  the  following,  word 
for  word,  are  clauses  of  the  Master  Mason's  obli- 
gation : 

"  I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will 
attend  a  brother  barefoot,  if  necessity  requires,  to 
warn  him  of  approaching  danger;  that  on  my 
knees  I  will  remember  him  in  my  prayers;  that  I 
will  take  him  by  the  right  hand  and  support  him 
with  the  left,  in  all  his  just  and  lawful  undertak- 
ings ;  that  I  will  keep  his  secrets  as  safely  depos- 
ited in  my  breast,  as  they  are  in  his  own,  treason 
and  murder  only  excepted,  and  those  at  my  option; 
that  I  will  obey  all  true  signs,  tokens,  and  sum- 
monses, sent  me  by  the  hand  of  a  Master  Mason^ 


196  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

or  from  the  door  of  a  just  and  regular  Master 

Mason's  lodge,  if  within  the  length  of  my  cable- 
tow." 

This  was  the  form  of  admission  to  the  Master 
Mason's  degree,  at  Rochester,  when  the  chapter  at 
Rochester  decided  that  Morgan  had  incurred  the 
penalties  of  his  obligations,  and  sent  out  their 
signs,  tokens,  and  summonses  accordingly. 

These  were  the  oaths  which  every  Master  Mason 
admitted  at  the  lodge  in  Rochester,  had  taken. 
All  this  he  had  "most  solemnly  and  sincerely 
promised  and  sworn  with  a  full  and  hearty  resolu- 
tion to  perform  the  same  without  any  evasion, 
equivocation  or  mental  reservation — under  no  less 
penalty  than  to  have  his  body  cut  across,  his  bow- 
els taken  out  and  burnt  to  ashes,  and  those  ashes 
scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven ;  to  have  his 
body  dissected  into  four  equal  parts,  and  those 
parts  hung  on  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass, 
there  to  hang  and  remain  as  a  terror  to  all  those 
who  shall  presume  to  violate  the  sacred  obligation 
of  a  Master  Mason." 

Col.  Stone,  in  his  seventh  letter,  page  67,  says, 
that  in  his  apprehension  the  words,  ^^  and  they  left 
to  my  own  election,'  are  an  innovation,  and  that  he 
has  not  been  accustomed  to  hear  the  obligation  so 
conferred.  The  words  in  his  own  manuscript  are 
"and  those  at  my  option;"  fewer  words,  but  bear- 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  197 

ing  the  same  meaning.     They  were  no  innovation 
at  Eoehester. 

The  only  words  in  this  obligation  which  need 
any  explanation,  are  the  words  cable-tow,  and  they 
are  always  so  explained  as  to  give  them  a  definite 
meaning.  The  rest  are  all  as  explicit  as  language 
can  make  them,  and  they  are  taken  with  a  broad 
and  total  disclaimer  of  all  evasion,  equivocation  or 
mental  reservation.  So  they  were  taken  at  Roch- 
ester, and  so  they  are  recorded  in  the  old  manu- 
script of  Col.  Stone. 

You  are  a  classical  scholar,  sir,  and  you  doubt- 
less remember  the  humorous  remark  of  Cicero,  in 
his  dialogue  on  the  nature  of  the  gods;  that  he 
could  not  conceive  how  one  Roman  Haruspex 
could  look  another  in  the  face  without  laughing. 
I  find  it  difficult  to  conceive  how  you,  performing 
the  functions  of  a  master  of  a  lodge,  as  among 
the  duties  of  a  grand  high-priest  you  may  be  re- 
quired to  do — how  can  you  look  in  the  face  of  a 
man  after  administering  to  him  such  an  oath  as 
this,  without  shuddering.  But  we  have  not  yet 
done  with  the  old  manuscript  of  Col.  Stone. 

After  th^  ceremonies  of  admission  to  the  de- 
gree of  Master  Mason  are  completed,  and  the  re- 
cipient has  been  invested  in  his  new  dignity,  he  is 
conducted  to  the  master  of  the  lodge  in  the  east, 
there  to  hear  from  him  the  history  of  the  degree. 


198  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

There,  sir,  with  equal  regard  for  historical  truti 
and  reverence  for  the  Holy  Scriptures,  you  mingle 
up  the  building  of  Solomon's  Temple,  as  recorded 
in  the  Bible,  with  the  murder  of  Hiram  Abiff  by 
three  Tyrian  Fellowcraft,  Jubela,  Jubplo,  and  Jub- 
elum,  as  preserved  in  the  chronicles  of  Masonic 
mystery.     You  relate  them  all  as  solemn  truth  of 
equal  authenticity,  and  in  the  manuscript  now  be- 
fore me,  the  story  goes  that  after  the  murder  of 
Hiram  Abiff  was  consummated,   King  Solomon 
was  informed  of  the  conspiracy,  and  ord  ered  the 
roll  to  be  called,  when  the  three  ruffians  were 
missing.     Search  "  was  made  after  them,  and  they 
were  found  by  their  dolorous  moans,  in  a  cave. 
Oh,  said  Jubela,  that  my  throat  had  been  cut 
across,  &c.  [repeating  the  whole  penalty  of  the 
Entered  Apprentice's   obligation]   before   I   had 
been  accessory  to  the  death  of  so  good  a  master. 
Oh,  said  Jubelo,  that  my  heart  had  been  torn  out, 
&c.  [repeating  the  whole  penalty  of  the  Fellow- 
craft's  obligation]  before  I  had  been  accessory  to 
the  death  of  our  master.     Oh,  said  Jubelum,  that 
my  body  were  cut  across,  my  bowels  taken  out 
and  burnt  to  ashes,  &c.  [repeating  the  whole  pen- 
alty [of  the  Master  Mason's  obligation]  before  I 
had  been  the  death  of  our  master  Hiram  Abiff. 
They  were  then  taken,  and  sent  to  Hiram,  king 
of  Tyre,  who  executed  on  them  the  several  sen- 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  199 

tences  they  had  invoked  upon  themselves,"  which 
have  ever  since  remained  "  the  standing  penalties  in 
the  three  first  degrees  in  Masojiry." 

This,  sir,  is  the  history  of  the  Master  Mason's 
degree,  which  was  delivered  by  the  master  of  the 
lodge  at  Rochester  to  every  individual  received  as 
a  Master  Mason.  This  was  the  explanation  given 
to  him  of  the  obligation  assumed  by  him,  imme- 
diately after  the  administration  of  the  oath.  This 
is  in  substance  the  explanation  which  you,  the  re- 
porter of  a  criminal  code  to  the  legislature  of 
Louisiana  must  give  to  every  Master  Mason  whom 
you  receive,  of  the  penalty  of  the  oath  which  you 
administer  to  him  in  the  name  of  the  ever-living 
God  —  without  evasion  —  without  equivocation — 
without  mental  reservation. 

And  will  you  say,  sir,  as  the  grand  lodge  of 
Rhode  Island  have  said,  that  these  penalties  mean 
no  more  than  that  the  swearer,  who  invokes  them 
upon  himself,  will  rather  die  like  Hiram  Abiff, 
than  reveal  the  secrets  of  Masonry?  Is  it  Hiram 
AbifF  in  this  story  who  pays  the  penalty  of  violat- 
ed vows?  Is  it  Hiram  Abiff  who  invokes  these 
penalties  upon  himself?  The  Entered  Appren- 
tice, the  Fellowcraft,  and  the  Master  Mason,  in- 
voke upon  themselves  the  penalties  of  their  re- 
spective degrees.  The  Entered  Apprentice  is  told 
that  he  enters  the  lodge  on  the  point  of  a  naked 


200     •  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

sword  pricking  his  breast,  to  remind  .bim  of  i7i- 
stant  death  in  case  of  revolt;  and  the  Master  Mason 
is  told  that  the  penalties  executed  upon  Jubela, 
Jubelo,  and  Jubelum,  have  ever  since  remained 
the  standing  penalties  in  the  three  first  degrees  of 
Masonry. 

And  now,  sir,  what  are  we  to  think  of  high- 
priests,  and  Royal  Arch  chapters,  and  grand  mas- 
ters, and  grand  lodges,  who  after  taking  and  ad- 
ministering in  secret  these  oaths,  with  these  penal- 
ties, for  a  long  series  of  years,  when  their  real 
character  has  been  proclaimed  by  the  voice  of 
midnight  murder  from  the  waters  of  Kiagara  in 
tones  to  which  the  thunders  of  her  cataract  are 
but  as  a  whisper — when  their  unequivocal  import 
has  been  divulged,  to  the  amazement  and  disgust 
and  horror  of  all  pure,  unsophisticated  minds; 
what  are  we  'to  think  of  high-priests,  and  grand 
kings,  and  most  iUustrious  Knights  of  the  Cross, 
who  face  it  out  in  defiance  of  the  common  sense 
and  common  feeling  of  mankind,  that  there  is 
nothing  in  these  oaths  and  penalties  inconsistent 
with  the  duties  of  those  who  take  and  administer 
them,  to  their  country  or  their  God?  The  manu- 
script from  which  I  now  give  to  the  world  the 
three  obligations  of  the  Entered  Apprentice,  of 
the  Fellowcraft,  and  of  the  Master  Mason,  is 
upon  the  testimony  of  Col.  Stone,  a  Knight  Tern- 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  201 

plar  and  a  man  of  unimpeaclied  integrity,  masonry 
in  its  most  mitigated  and  least  exceptionable  form, — 
it  was  the  masonry  of  Connecticut  more  than 
twenty-five  years  since  and  for  many  years  before 
— it  was  the  masonry  of  Rochester  at  the  time  of 
the  murder  of  Morgan. 

I  have  yet  more  to  say  to  you,  sir,  on  this  sub- 
ject, nor  shall  I  be  discouraged  from  continuing 
to  address  you  upon  it  by  your  observance  of  a 
"  dignified  silence."  If  my  letters  are  not  read  by 
you,  there  are  those  by  whom  they  will  be  read,  I 
trust,  not  without  effect.  If  the  presses  under 
your  jurisdiction.  Masonic  or  political,  refuse  their 
columns  to  the  discussion  of  Masonic  morals, 
when  the  grand  high-priest  of  Masonry  is  the 
secretary  of  state  of  the  Union,  it  may  serve  to 
illustrate  the  subserviency  of  the  periodical  press 
to  Masonry — but  your  address  to  your  companions 
and  brethren  at  your  installation  as  the  grand 
high-priest  of  the  Royal  Arch  of  this  Union,  is 
not  the  perishable  effusion  of  a  day.  It  is  a  state 
paper  for  history,  and  for  biography — for  the 
present  age  and  for  the  next — it  shall  not  be  lost 
to  posterity — it  shall  stand  as  a  beacon  to  future 
time — the  admiration,  or  at  least  the  wonder  of 
other  generations. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


202  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 


TO  EDWARD  LIVINGSTON,  ESQ. 

QuiNCY,  23  May,  1833. 

Sir: — The  position  which  I  have  undertaken  to 
prove,  beyond  all  possibility  of  rational  denial,  is, 
that  the  "cause  of  the  offense,"  that  is,  of  the 
murder  of  William  Morgan,  and  of  a  multitude 
of  other  crimes  associated  with  and  subsequent  to 
that  act,  was  the  oath  of  initiation  to  the  Masonic 
institution,  with  its  appended  penalty. 

Had  Morgan  ever  taken  any  other  oath  than 
that  of  the  Entered  Apprentice,  he  would,  after 
writing  his  Illustrations  of  Masonry,  have  been  li- 
able to  the  penalty  which  he  suffered — even  before 
they  should  be  published.  Like  Jubela,  Jubelo, 
and  Jubelum,  he  had  invoked  the  penalty  upon 
himself;  he  suffered  nothing  more  than  the  pen- 
alty which  he  had  been  assured  had  been  executed 
upon  them;  nothing  more  than  what  he  had  been 
warned  had  been  the  standing  penalties  of  Free- 
masonry from  the  time  of  the  building  of  Solo- 
mon's Temple. 

All  the  obligations  are  assumed,  with  invocation 
of  the  penalty  of  death,  upon  him  who  takes  the 
oath  of  admission  to  each  of  the  several  degrees ; 
pronounced  with  his  own  lips,  and  with  a  solemn 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  203 

appeal  to  God,  disclaimiag  all  evasion,  all  equivo- 
cation, all  mental  reservation. 

Such  is  the  law  of  Masonry. 

Shall  I  cite  to  you,  sir,  from  your  able  and  elo- 
quent report  to  the  legislature  of  Louisiana,  the 
prowerful  argument  against  the  iufliction  of  death 
upon  any  criminal  for  the  commission  of  any 
crime  whatsoever?  The  whole  argument  is  well 
worthy  to  be  read  aud  studied,  by  every  person 
conversant  with  the  administration  or  enactment 
of  criminal  law,  and  of  the  deep  consideration, 
especially  of  the  brethren  aud  companions  of  the 
craft.  But  the  introduction  to  it  is  so  peculiarly 
appropriate  to  the  purpose  of  these  addresses  to 
you,  that  I  take  the  liberty  of  presenting  it  to  you 
in  your  own  words. 

"I  approached  the  inquiry  into  the  nature  and 
effect  of  this  punishment  (of  death)  with  the  awe 
becoming  a  man  who  felt  most  deeply  his  liability 
to  err,  and  the  necessity  of  forming  a  correct  opin- 
ion on  a  point  so  interesting  to  the  justice  oK  the 
country,  the  life  of  its  citizens,  and  the  character 
of  its  laws.  I  strove  to  clear  my  understanding 
from  all  prejudices  which  education  or  early  im- 
pressions might  have  created,  and  to  produce  a 
frame  of  mind  fitted  for  the  investigation  of  truth 
and  the  impartial  examination  of  the  arguments 
on  this  great  question.     For  this  purpose  I  not 


204  LETTERS 'and    OPINIONS 

only  consulted  such  writers  on  the  subject  as  were 
within  my  reach,  but  endeavored  to  procure  a 
knowledge  of  the  practical  effect  of  this  punish- 
ment on  different  crimes  in  the  several  countries 
where  it  is  inflicted.  In  my  situation,  however, 
I  could  draw  but  a  limited  advantage  from  either 
of  these  sources ;  very  few  books  on  penal  law, 
even  those  most  commonly  referred  to,  are  to  be 
found  in  the  scanty  collections  of  this  place,  and 
my  failure  in  procuring  information  from  the 
other  states,  is  more  to  be  regretted  on  this  than 
any  other  topic  on  which  it  was  requested.  With 
these  inadequate  means,  but  after  the  best  use 
that  my  faculties  would  enable  me  to  make  of 
them ;  after  long  reflection,  and  not  until.  I  had 
canvassed  every  argument  that  could  suggest 
itself  to  my  mind,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 

THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  DEATH  SHOULD  FIND  NO  PLACE 
IN  THE  CODE  WHICH  YOU  HAVE  'DIRECTED  ME  TO 
PRESENT." 

ifow,  sir,  I  ask  of  you,  as  the  grand  high-priest 
of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States,  to  make  to  the  chapters  and  lodges, 
to  the  companions  and  brethren  under  your  juris- 
diction, that  some  recommendation  to  abolish  the 
penalty  of  death,  which  with  such  deep  and  affect- 
ing solemnity  you  did  make,  in  reporting  a  code 
of  criminal  law  to  the  legislature  of  Louisiana, 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  205 

The  argumeut  of  which  I  have  here  given  only 
the  introductory  paragraph  embraces  a  very  large 
portion,  nearly  one  half,  of  your  report  on  the 
criminal  code.  In  the  system  reported  with  it, 
murder,  and  joining  an  insurrection  of  slaves,  are 
made  punishable  with  hard  labor  for  life.  At  the 
close  of  this  letter  I  annex  several  other  extracts,* 
as  well  from  the  report  as  from  the  preamble  to 
the  penal  code  reported  with  it,  indicative  not 
only  of  your  deliberate  and  solemn  opinions,  ad- 
verse to  the  punishment  of  death  in  all  cases 
whatsoever,  but  of  the  abhorrence  which  you 
must  feel  at  heart,  for  those  brutal  mutilations  of 
the  body  which  constitute  the  penalties  of  f.vcry 
Masonic  obligation. 

It  is  not,  Mr.  Livingston,  for  the  poor  purpose 
of  bringing  against  you  a  charge  of  inconsistency 
before  the  tribunal  of  public  opinion,  that  I  ad- 
dress these  letters  to  you,  and  call  earnestly  upon 
you  to  make  this  recommendation.  I  would,  if 
possible,  speak  to  your  heart.  I  would  say,  you 
have  recommended,  you  have  urged  by  appeals  to 
the  best  feelings  of  our  nature,  to  the  supreme 
legislative  authority  of  your  state,  the  total  aboli- 
tion of  the  penalty  of  death, — the  reformation  of 
everything  cruel,  indecorous,  or  vindictive  in  her 
code  of  criminal  law.    You  are  at  the  head  in 

*  These  extracts  are  here  omitted. 


206  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

these  United  States  of  a  private  association  of 
immense  power, — co-extensive  with  the  civilized 
world,— knit  together  by  ties  of  strong  prevail- 
ment  even  when  secret,  scarcely  less  efficacious 
when  divulged.  When  secret,  they  were  riveted 
by  pledges  to  the  penalty  of  death  and  mutilation 
in  a  multitude  of  forms,  given  in  the  name  of 
God,  and  varnished  with  an  imposture  of  sanctity 
by  being  mingled  up  with  the  most  solemn  testi- 
monials of  Holy  Writ.  Even  now,  when  your 
secrets  are  divulged,  when  your  obligations  and 
penalties  have  been  exposed  in  their  naked  and 
undeniable  nature,  when  yoU;  dare  not  attempt 
to  vindicate  or  defend  them,  when  the  attempts 
of  your  brethren  to  explain  them  have  been 
proved  fraudulent  and  delusive,  when  your  only 
resource  of  apology  for  using  them  is  that  they 
are  null  and  void^words  utterly  without  mean- 
ing, yet  you  still  persevere  in  adhering  to  them  as 
the  ancient  landmarks  of  the  order.  Ask  your- 
self, sir,  not  whether  this  is  consistent  with  your 
report  and  criminal  code  of  Louisiana,  but  wheth- 
er it  is  worthy  of  your  character — of  your  stand 
in  the  face  of  your  country  and  of  mankind  ;  of 
your  reputation  in  after  time ;  and  if  it  is  not  and 
can  not  be,  why  should  you  not  take  the  occasion 
of  the  high  dignity  which  in  this  association  you 
have  attained,  to  propose  and  to  promote  its  ref* 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  207 

ormation  ?  to  divest  it  of  that  which,  so  long  as 
it  continues,  can  never  cease  to  shed  disgrace  upon 
the  whole  order;  of  that  which  can  not  even  be 
repeated  without  shame  ? 

You  have  taken  no  public  notice  of  these  letters 
in  your  own  name,  nor  have  I  been  particularly 
solicitous  that  you  should.  Bad  you  ventured  to 
assume  the  defense  of  the  Masonic  oaths,  obliga- 
tions, and  penalties — had  you  presumed  to  commit 
your  name  to  the  assertion  that  they  can  by  any 
possibility  be  reconciled  to  the  laws  of  morality, 
of  Christianity,  or  of  the  land,  I  should  have 
deemed  it  my  duty  to  reply,  and  to  have  complet- 
ed the  demonstration  before  God  and  man  that 
they  can  not.  Of  the  multitude  of  defenses  of  Ma- 
sonry, which  have  been  obtruded  upon  the  public 
since  this  controversy  arose,  not  one  has  dared  to 
look  these  obligations  in  the  face,  and  assert  their 
innocence.  Abuse  upon  the  Antimasons  for  de- 
nouncing them — impudent  denials  of  their  im- 
port, so  long  as  a  remnant  of  the  ragged  veil  of 
secrecy  rent  by  the  seceders,  could  yet  be  drawn 
over  their  nakedness — false  and  fraudulent  expla- 
nations of  their  meaning  when  disclosed  beyond 
all  possibility  of  denial,  and  mystical  and  mysti- 
fied declarations  of  inflexible  adherence  to  them 
under  the  name  of  the  ancient  landmarks  of  the 
institution — these  have  been  the  last  resources, 
the  forlorn  hopes  of  the  Masonic  obligations. 


208  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

And  this  inflexible  adherence  to  these  ancient 
landmarks  is  again  recommended  to  the  chapters 
and  lodges  under  your  jurisdiction  by  the  General 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  of 
which  you  are  the  high-priest,  at  their  triennial 
meeting  in  Baltimore  last  i^ovember.  At  that 
meeting  you  were  re-elected  to  the  dignity  which 
you  had  held  from  the  time  of  your  address  to  the 
companions  and  brethren  of  the  order  at  your  in- 
stallation in  April,  1830.  A  letter  from  you  was 
read  at  that  meeting,  apologizing  for  your  ab- 
sence from  it,  and  perhaps  for  the  better  accom- 
modation of  the  grand  high-priest,  that  meeting 
was  adjourned  to  be  held  again  in  ITovember, 
1835,  at  the  city  of  Washington. 

There  is  a  point  of  view  in  which  I  believe  this 
subject  to  be  deeply  interesting  to  the  people  of 
this  Union,  upon  which  I  have  hitherto  said  noth- 
ing, and  upon  which  I  do  not  wish  to  enlarge. 
The  president  of  the  United  States  is  a  brother  of 
the  craft,  bound  by  its  oaths,  obligations,  and  pen- 
alties, to  the  exclusive  favors,  be  they  more  or 
less,  of  which  they  give  the  mutual  pledge.  That 
in  the  troubles  and  difliculties  which  within  the 
last  seven  years  have  befallen  the  craft,  they  have 
availed  themselves  of  his  name,  and  authority, 
and  influence  to  sustain  their  drooping  fortunes, 
as  far  as  has  been  in  their  power,  has  been  a  matter 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  209 

of  public  notoriety.  A  sense  of  propriety  has  re- 
strained him  from  joining  in  their  processions,  as  he 
has  been  importunately  urged  by  invitations  to  do, 
but  he  has  not  withheld  from  them  his  support. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  comment  upon  the  ope- 
ration of  the  Masonic  obligations,  upon  the  two 
most  recent  elections  to  the  presidency  of  the 
United  States,  or  upon  the  official  conduct  of  the 
president  himself  in  relation  to  the  institution  or 
its  members.  But  whoever  will  impartially  re- 
flect upon  the  import  of  the  Masonic  obligations, 
and  upon  the  public  history  of  the  United  States 
for  the  last  ten  years,  must  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  no  president  of  the  United  States  ought  ever 
to  be  shackled  by  such  obligations,  or  under  the 
self-assumed  burden  of  such  penalties.  They  es- 
tablish between  him  and  all  the  members  of  the 
institution,  and  between  him  and  the  institution 
itself,  relations  not  only  different  from  but  utterly 
incompatible  with  those  in  which  his  station  pla- 
ces him  with  the  whole  community.  That  the 
president  of  the  United  States  is  not  at  this  mo- 
ment an  impartial  person  in  the  question  between 
Masonry  and  Antimasonry,  nor  between  Masons 
and  Antimasons,  has  been  fully  authenticated,  by 
something  more  than  the  effusions  of  your  scul- 
lions in  the  Globe.  He  is  not  impartial.  How 
can  he  be  impartial  after  trammeling  himself  with 
u 


210  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

promises,  such  as  those  which  are  now  unequivo- 
cally authenticated  before  the  world  ? 

And  you,  Mr.  Livingston,  secretary  of  state  of 
the  United  States,  are  at  the  same  time  grand 
high-priest  of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States;  and  all  the  Royal 
Arch  chapters  of  all  the  states  of  this  Union  are 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  that  over  which  you  pre- 
side. Are  you  impartial  in  the  question  between 
Masonry  and  Antimasonry  ?  Are  you,  or  can  you 
be  impartial  in  any  question  which  can  arise 
between  Masons  and  Antimasons?  You  com- 
menced your  official  duties  as  grand  high-priest, 
by  a  sweeping  denunciation  of  all  the  Antimasons 
in  the  Union.  The  Antimasons  were  then  a  great 
political  party.  They  are  so  still.  You  brought 
against  them  what  I  have  proved  to  be  a  most 
unjust  accusation.  Are  you  impartial  between 
them  and  their  adversaries?  Has  human  nature 
changed  its  properties  since  one  of  them  was  by 
a  profound  observer  said  to  be,  to  hate  those  whom 
jou  have  injured,  "odisse  quem  Iseseris?"  How 
far  distant  from  such  a  denunciation  of  Antima- 
sonry as  that  with  which  you  gratified  your  com- 
panions and  brethren  at  your  installation,  is  the 
dismission  for  Antimasonry  of  an  officer  of  the 
United  States,  dependent  on  you  for  his  place? 
Is  it  as  far  as  the  department  of  state  from  the 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  211 

general  post-ofl5.ce?  In  all  the  trials  before  the 
judicial  Qourts  of  the  State  of  New  York,  to 
which  the  abduction  and  niurder  of  Morgan  has 
given  rise,  the  efficacy  of  the  Masonic  obligations 
upon  sheriffs,  jurors,  and  witnesses  to  warp  them 
from  their  duty  to  their  country  has  been  lament- 
ably proved — what  security  can  the  country  pos- 
sess that  they  will  not  operate  in  the  same  man- 
ner upon  a  secretary  of  state,  or  a  president  of  the 
United  States?  Were  the  Masonic  oblisrations 
equivocal  in  their  character,  were  they  even  sus- 
ceptible of  the  explanations  which  have  been  at- 
tempted to  be  given  of  them,  the  undeniable  fact, 
that  they  have  been  understood  and  acted  upon 
according  to  their  literal  import,  by  great  multi- 
tudes of  Masons,  to  the  total  prostration  of  their 
duties  to  the  laws  of  their  country,  would  be  a 
conclusive  reason  for  abolishing  them  altogether. 
For  if  the  obligations  are  of  a  nature  to  be  differ- 
ently understood  by  different  persons,  their  con- 
sistency or  inconsistency  with  the  laws  of  the 
land  must  depend  upon  the  individual  characters 
of  those  who  have  assumed  them.  Bound  by  the 
same  oathsj  some  of  the  witnesses  and  jurors  on 
the  Masonic  trials  in  New  York  have  given  their 
testimony  and  true  verdicts,  while  others  have 
obstinately  refused  their  testimony  to  facts  within 
their  knowledge,  and  denied  their  assent  to  ver- 


212  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

diets  upon  the  clearest  proof.  It  has  been  judi- 
cially decided  in  the  states  of  New  York  and  of 
Rhode  Island  that  a  person  under  Masonic  obli- 
gations must  be  set  aside  as  disqualified  to  serve 
upon  a  jury  in  cases  where  one  of  the  parties  is  a 
Mason,  and  the  other  is  not.  From  the  letter  of 
his  obligations  he  can  not  be  impartial,  and  al- 
though some  Masons  may  understand  them  other- 
wise, neither  the  court,  nor  the  party  whose  rights 
and  interests  are  staked  upon  the  trial,  can  have 
any  assurance  that  the  trial  will  be  fair.  The 
same  uncertainty  must  rest  upon  the  administra- 
tion of  executive  officers.  If  the  president  of  the 
United  States  and  the  secretary  of  state  are 
bound  by  solemn  oaths  and  under  horrible  penal- 
ties to  befriend  and  favor  one  class  of  individuals 
in  the  community  more  than  another,  the  pur- 
poses for  which  those  offices  are  instituted  must 
be  frustrated ;  a  privileged  order  is  palmed  upon 
the  community,  more  corrupting,  more  pernicious 
than  the  titles  of  nobility  which  our  constitutions 
expressly  prohibit,  because  its  privileges  are  dis- 
pensed and  enjoined  under  an  avowed  pledge  of 
inviolable  secrecy.  In  many  of  the  'New  York 
chapters,  the  promise  to  promote  the  political  pre- 
ferment of  a  brother  of  the  craft,  over  others 
equally  qualified,  was  one  of  the  Royal  Arch  obli- 
gations to  which  the  companion  was  sworn  upon 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  213 

the  penalty  of  death.  How  far  such  an  obliga- 
tion would  influence  the  official  conduct  of  a 
president  of  the  United  States,  it  is  impossible  to 
say  ;  but  not  more  impossible  than  for  that  officer 
to  fulfill  the  obligations  of  such  a  promise  and  to 
perform  his  duties  with  impartiality. 

At  the  time  when  you  delivered  the  address 
upon  your  installation  as  grand  high-priest  of  the 
general  grand  chapter,  Antimasonry  had  already 
existed  upwards  of  three  years.  It  was  an  exten- 
sive political  party,  although  then  in  a  great  meas- 
ure confined  within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Xew 
Fork.  You  denounced  it  in  no  measured  terms. 
Had  the  charges  which  you  openly  brought  against 
it  been  true,  every  individual  within  the  scope  of 
your  denunciation  must  have  been  an  unworthy 
citizen  and  a  dishonest  man.  Such  has  been  the 
tone  of  all  the  defenses  and  defenders  of  Masonry, 
from  that  day  to  this.  If  the  Masonic  obliga- 
tions were  understood  in  all  ordinary  times  not  to 
interfere  with  the  religion  or  the  politics  of  indi- 
viduals, how  can  it  be  possible  to  preserve  this 
nominal  exception  when  Masonry  itself  has  be- 
come the  most  prominent  object  of  political  dis- 
sension? As  a  political  party,  the  Antimasons  of 
the  United  States  are,  at  this  day,  probably  more 
numerous  than  the  Masons,  In  several  of  the 
states,  the   most  important  elections  turn  upon 


214  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

that  point  alone.  The  Antimasons  openly  avow 
the  principle  of  voting  for  no  other  than  Anti- 
masonic  candidates.  How  is  it  possible  for  the 
Masons  to  preserve  themselves  from  the  political 
bias,  prompting  them  to  repel  Antimasonry? 
They  have  in  fact  no  such  equanimity.  They 
never  fail  to  bring  forward  a  candidate  of  their 
own  when  possible;  and  when  they  find  it 
impracticable,  they  unite  with  any  party, 
whatever  may  be  their  aversion  to  it,  and  how- 
ever obnoxious  its  politics,  to  exclude  the  Anti- 
mason. 

In  your  letter  to  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States,  of  the  26th  of  !N"o- 
vember,  1 832,  apologizing  to  them  for  not  attend- 
ing at  their  meeting,  then  about  to  be  held  at  Bal- 
timore, you  said  thus :  "  You  know  (notwith- 
standing the  allegations  of  our  enemies)  that  the 
duties  we  owe  to  our  country  are  paramount  to 
the  obligations  of  Masonry,  or  to  the  indulgence 
of  fraternal  feelings."  Now,  sir,  my  appeal  is  to 
the  very  principle  here  asserted  by  yourself.  I 
aver  that  your  duty  to  your  country  is  violated  by 
the  administration  of  the  Masonic  oaths  and  obli- 
gations under  penalties  of  death,  invoked  in  the 
name  of  God — penalties  multiplied  beyond  those 
of  the  most  sanguinary  code  that  ever  disgraced 
human  legislation,  and  for  offenses  which  the  su- 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  215 

preme  law  of  the  state  can  not  recognize  as  the 
most  trifling  of  misdemeanors. 

At  that  triennial  meeting  of  the  General  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  "to  take  into  consideration 
the  present  situation  of  our  [the  Masonic]  institu- 
tion, and  recommend  such  things  and  measures  as 
they  in  their  wisdom  may  consider  expedient  and 
necessary." 

The  report  of  that  committee,  and  the  resolu- 
tions proposed  by  them,  and  adopted  by  the 
General  Grand  Chapter  of  the  United  States, 
were  the  immediate  occasion  of  these  letters  to 
you.  This  circumstance  may  account,  in  part,  for 
what  appears  to  have  surprised  some  of  your 
friends — that  I  sliould  now  hold  you  accountable 
for  an  address  delivered  so  long  since  as  April, 
1830.  That  was  }0ur  declaration  of  war  against 
the  Antimusons.  In  November,  1832,  you  still 
proclaimed  them  to  be  your  enemies,  and  the  Gen- 
eral Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  in  full  triennial 
meeting,  repeated  with  renewed  a'ld  aggravated 
denunciations,  all  your  erroneous  charges  against 
thcni.  Upon  that  report,  and  upon  the  resolu- 
tions with  which  it  closed,  I  shall  in  my  next  let- 
ter submit  to  the  consideration  of  the  public  some 
observations. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


216  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 


TO  EDWARD   LIVINGSTON,  ESQ. 

QuiNCY,  12  June,  1833. 

Sir: — From  the  official  published  report  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States,  at  their  triennial 
meeting  at  Baltimore,  last  November,  it  appears 
that  a  communication  was  made  to  that  meeting 
from  the  M.  E.,  ifathan  K  Haswell,  G.  H.  P. 
(meaning  grand  high-priest)  of  the  grand  chapter 
of  Vermont,  together  with  accompanying  docu- 
ments, and  that  this  communication  and  the 
ac  .ompanying  documents  were  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee which  is  denominated  one  of  the  most 
important  committees  then  appointed,  and  they 
were  instructed  to  take  into  consideration  the 
present  situation  of  the  Masonic  institution,  and 
to  recommend  such  things  and  measures  as  they 
in  their  wisdom  might  consider  expedient  and 
necessary. 

The  first  remark  that  invites  attention  here,  is, 
that  this  meeting  was  composed  of  individuals  all 
belonging  to  different  states  of  this  Union,  some 
of  them  occupying  stations  of  power  and  dignity 
in  their  several  states.  The  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee to  whom  this  communication  was  referred, 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  217 

and  who  made  the  report  upon  which  I  am  to 
comment,  is  a  member  of  the  executive  council 
of  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  elected 
from  a  county  exceedingly  divided  upon  the  ques- 
tions between  Masonry  and  Antimasonry — elected 
at  the  same  time  another  was  excluded  from  the 
same  office,  who,  though  an  ardent  National  Re- 
publican and  a  sufferer  by  proscription  from  office 
by  the  present  national  administration,  was  dis- 
carded for  a  slight,  real  or  suspected,  taint  of 
Antimasonry. 

Here,  then,  is  a  member  of  the  council  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  elected  expressly  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  Antimasonic  party  of  the  county  of 
Bristol  in  that  state,  representing  the  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Massachusetts,  at  a  gen- 
eral convention  of  all  the  Royal  Arch  chapters 
of  the  United  States,  to  which  is  referred  a  com- 
munication and  documents  from  the  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  Vermont. 

That  the  report  of  a  committee  of  which  this 
gentleman  was  the  chairman  should  be  marked 
with  strong  resentment  against  the  Antimasons 
of  Vermont  was  to  be  expected.  Political  Anti- 
masonry has  been  more  successful  in  Vermont 
than  in  the  county  of  Bristol  in  Massachusetts. 

The  report,  therefore,  states  that  it  appears 
from  the  appeal  published  by  the  Masons  in  Ver- 


218  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

mont  in  1829,  that  various  presses  have  been 
established  in  that  state  as  vehicles  of  slander 
and  malignity  against  the  adherents  of  Masoury. 

This  is  precisely  a  repetition  of  the  language 
of  your  address  at  your  installation  in  April,  1830. 
It  is  certainly  not  a  correct  representation  of 
facts,  and  it  contains  itself  a  slanderous  imputa- 
tion upon  a  majority  of  the  people  of  the  State  of 
Vermont. 

N'ow,  sir,  for  a  far  more  rational  and  accurate 
history  of  Antimasonry  as  it  existed  in  the  State 
of  Vermont  in  the  years  1829  and  1830,  I  refer 
you  to  a  pamphlet  entitled  "Masonic  Penalties," 
published  in  August,  1830,  by  William  Slade, 
now  a  member  elect  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives of  the  United  States  from  that  state. 

In  this  pamphlet  you  will  see  that  Mr.  Slade 
commenced  the  publication  of  his  essays  on  the 
Masonic  penalties  on  the  7th  of  April,  1830,  a 
very  few  days  before  your  installation  and  the 
delivery  of  your  address.  You  have  probably 
never  seen  those  essays,  for  it  appears  to  be  one 
of  the  maxims  of  Masonry,  while  denouncing  as 
slander,  malignity,  and  persecution,  every  im- 
peachment of  the  institution,  to  "  know  nothing 
about "  the  real  serious  charges  against  it.  It  is 
therefore  highly  probable  that  you  know  nothing 
about  Mr.  Slade's  essays  on  Masonic  penalties. 


ON    FREEMASONKY.  219 

And  I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  committee  of 
the  General  Grand  Roval  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States,  who  reported  this  bitter  denuncia- 
tion against  the  Antimasous  of  Vermont,  knew 
no  more  about  it  than  you  do.  I  will  hazard  a 
conjecture  that  among  the  documents  transmitted 
by  the  grand  high-priest  of  the  Grand  Koyal 
Arch  Chapter  of  Vermont,  and  upon  which  the 
committee  made  their  report,  it  would  be  a  vain 
search  to  look  for  Mr.  Slade's  essays  upon  the 
Masonic  penalties.  "  Dignified  silence  "  was  the 
rule  to  be  observed  with  regard  to  them ;  and  yet, 
sir,  attempts  were  made  to  answer  them.  It  is  so 
far  from  being  true  that  presses  were  set  up  in 
Vermont  as  vehicles  of  slander  and  malignity 
against  the  adherents  of  Masonry,  that  the  editor 
of  the  Vermont  Americaiiy  who  begun  the  publi- 
cation of  Mr.  Slade's  essays,  suspended  them  after 
the  third  number,  under  the  terror  of  Masonic 
vengeance ;  and  Mr.  Slade  was  compelled  to  pub- 
lish the  remaining  numbers  in  an  extra  sheet. 
Yet  the  columns  of  the  Vermont  American^  when 
closed  against  Mr.  Slade,  were  opened  to  the  de- 
fenders of  Masonry,  and  two  writers,  under  the 
signatures  of  "  Common  Sense  of  the  Old  School," 
and  of  "Senex,"  vainly  attempted  to  refute  the 
unanswerable  arguments  of  his  first  three  num- 
bers.  Mr.  Slade  replied,  but  was  obliged  to  resort 


220  LETTERS    A^D   OPINIONS 

to  the  pages  of  a  free  press,  one  of  tliose  defamed 
by  the  report  of  the  committee  of  the  General 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Slade  published  in  a  pamphlet,  under  the  re- 
sponsibility of  his  name,  his  own  essays,  and 
those  of  his  adversaries ;  and  this  procedure  was 
in  the  same  spirit  of  fairness  and  candor  which 
marked  his  whole  management  of  the  contro- 
versy. I  recommend  to  3'ou  the  serious  and  at- 
tentive perusal  of  the  pamphlet,  for  if  it  should 
serve  no  other  purpose  than  to  preserve  you  and 
the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States  from  the  reiteration  of  insult  and 
slander  upon  the  people  of  a  highly  respectable 
state  of  this  Union,  it  will  have  a  just  claim  to 
your  grateful  acknowledgments — insult  and  slan- 
der upon  the  people  of  Vermont,  who  by  their 
votes  at  the  last  presidential  election,  as  well  as 
by  their  suffrages  at  two  succeeding  elections  for 
the  executive  officers  and  the  state  legislature, 
have  signally  vindicated  the  cause  of  Antimason- 
ry.  To  this  result  it  is  obvious  that  Mr.  Slade's 
essays  upon  the  Masonic  penalties  did,  in  an  emi- 
nent degree,  contribute.  It  was  impossible  that 
they  should  fail  to  produce  their  effect  upon  the 
minds  of  an  intelligent  and  virtuous  people. 
These  essays  carry  with  them  internal  and  irre- 
sistible   evidence    in    refutation   of   the    charger 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  221 

against  the  Antimasonic  presses  of  Vermont, 
proffered  bj  the  committee  of  the  General  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States.  The 
essays  on  the  Masonic  penalties  are  not  less  re- 
markable for  their  moderation,  delicacy,  and  ten- 
derness to  the  adherents  of  Masonry,  than  for  the 
close  and  pressing  cogency  of  their  arguments 
against  the  institution.  They  charge  not  the  ad- 
herents of  Masonry,  but  Masonry  itself,  with  the 
murder  of  Morgan,  and  all  its  execrable  progeny 
of  crimes. 

The  report  of  the  committee  proceeds  to  state 
that  the  members  of  the  grand  lodge  of  Vermont, 
and  other  Masons  in  the  state,  to  the  number  of 
nearly  two  hundred,  published,  in  1829,  an  ap- 
peal declaring  that  they  as  Masons  had  been 
charged — 

1.  With  being  accessory  to  the  abduction  of 
William  Morgan. 

2.  With  shielding  Masons  from  just  punish- 
ment for  crimes  thev  might  have  committed. 

3.  With  exercising  a  Masonic  influence  over 
legislative,  executive,  and  judiciary  branches  of 
the  government. 

4.  With  tampering  with  juries. 

5.  With  exerting  an  improper  influence  for  tne 
political  preferment  of  the  brotherhood. 

6.  With  various  blasphemous  practices. 


222  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

7.  With  causing  the  death  of  a  distinguished 
Mason. 

8.  With  sanctioning  principles  at  variance  with 
religion  and  virtue. 

9.  With  the  assumption  of  a  power  to  judge 
individual  Masons  by  laws  known  only  to  the 
fraternity,  and  to  inflict  punishments  corporally, 
even  unto  the  pains  of  death. 

Of  each  and  all  of  these  charges  they  affirm  in 
the  most  solemn  manner  that  they  were  entirely 
guiltless. 

Now  the  error  which  pervades  the  whole  of 
this  declaration  consists  in  this:  that  the  individ- 
ual Masons  who  volunteer  this  plea  of  not  guilty, 
apply  gratuitously  to  themselves  the  charges 
which  the  Antimasons  bring  against  the  institu- 
tion to  which  they  belong,  and  to  its  initiatory 
obligations  and  solemnities.  The  charges  are 
against  the  plain,  unequivocal  import  of  the  laws 
of  Masonry.  The  charges  are  that  those  laws  do 
in  their  own  nature  lead  to  and  instigate  the  com- 
mission of  all  those  crimes,  and  that  they  have 
led  to  and  instigated  the  perpetration  of  them. 
Two  hundred  Masons  of  Vermont  declare  them- 
selves guiltless  of  all  these  charges.  There  are 
perhaps  two  thousand  Masons  in  the  state, — sup- 
pose the  two  hundred  appellants  to  be  not  guilty; 
that  surely  no  more  proves  the  innocence  than  it 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  223 

does  the  guilt  of  the  remaining  eighteen  hunilrecl. 
Had  the  Masons  of  Vermont  been  desirous  of 
making  up  a  real  issue  between  themselves  and 
the  Antimasons,  they  should  have  said,  We  have 
been  charfired  with  administering:  and  takiiiir 
oaths  and  obligations,  with  multiplied  penalties  of 
death,  which  lead  into  the  temptation  of  all  those 
crimes,  and  which  have  led  to  the  commission  of 
them,  and  we  have  been  urged  to  abolish  these 
oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties. 

There  is  another  error  in  this  statement  of  the 
charges  against  themselves,  to  which  the  appel- 
lants pleaded  not  guilty,  evidently  suited  to  evade 
the  real  question  at  issue.  Their  charges  are 
couched  in  general  and  indefinite  terms,  prepared 
for  the  purpose  of  meeting  them  with  positive 
denial,  by  the  mental  reservation  of  their  own 
misconstructions.  They  say,  for  example,  that 
they  have  been  charged  with  various  blasphemous 
practices,  ^ow  what  do  they  mean  by  blasphe- 
mous practices?  Blasphemy,  by  the  common 
law,  and  by  some  of  the  statutes  of  the  states,  is 
an  indictable  crime — and  it  is  defined  by  Black- 
stone  to  be  the  denial  of  the  being  or  providence 
of  God  ;  or  contumelious  reproaches  of  our  Savior, 
Christ;  or  profane  scoffing  at  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
or  exposing  it  to  contempt  and  ridicule. 

Now,  sir,  if  before  the   disclosure   of  William 


224  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

Morgan,  at  the  ceremonies  of  initiation  to  the 
several  degrees  of  Masonry,  the  gr^nd  high- 
priests  of  the  Royal  Arch  chapters,  and  the  mas- 
ters of  lodges,  instead  of  consciously  hiding  their 
heads  in  secrecy ;  if  you,  sir,  as  the  sovereign 
master  or  most  excellent  prelate  of  an  encamp- 
ment, as  the  grand  high-priest  or  principal 
sojourner  of  a  chapter,  or  as  the  master  of  a 
lodge,  had  exhibited  in  public  theatrical  repre- 
sentations of  the  murder  of  Hiram  Abiff,  of  Mo- 
ses and  the  God  of  heaven  in  the  burning  bush, 
and  of  drinking  the  fifth  libation  from  a  human 
skull,  with  an  invocation  by  the  drinker  of  all  the 
sins  of  him  whose  skull  formed  that  cup,  upon 
his  own  head;  if  in  the  presence  of  your  fellow- 
citizens,  you  had  uttered,  as  equally  grave  and 
solemn  truth,  a  narrative  compounded  one  half 
of  quotations  from  Holy  Writ,  and  the  other  half 
ot  the  senseless  and  brutal  mummeries  of  Mason- 
ry, would  you  have  been  surprised  if  the  next 
morning  a  grand-jury  of  your  county  had  pre- 
sented you  for  blasphemy  ?  Could  you  have 
imagined  anything  more  calculated  to  bring  re- 
proach and  contempt  and  ridicule  upon  the  name 
of  God  and  upon  the  Holy  Scriptures  ?  If  any 
one  of  the  ministers  of  God  whom  you  allure 
into  the  bosom  of  a  charitable  institution,  by  ad- 
mitting them  gratuitously  to  its  promises  and  its 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  225 

rewards,  should  tell  his  people  from  the  pulpit 
that  Hiram  Abiff,  the  widow's  son,  was  master 
of  a  lodge  of  Masons  at  the  building  of  Solomon's 
Temple  ;  that  he  was  murdered  by  three  Eellow- 
crafts,  named  Jubela,  Jubelo,  and  Jubelum  ;  that 
those  three  FeJIowcrafts  had  suffered  the  penalties 
which  they  had  invoked  upon  themselves,  and 
that  ever  since  that  time  those  same  penalties  had 
been  the  standing  penalties  in  the  three  first 
degrees  of  Masonry,  would  there  be  one  hearer 
of  that  minister  of  Christ  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  cable-tow  but  would  pronounce  him  guilty 
of  provoking  contempt  and  ridicule  upon  the 
Scriptures  ? 

Why,  sir,  if  the  pastor  of  a  Christian  church 
should  bind  up  Gulliver's  Travels  between  the 
Old  and  New  Testament  of  his  Bible,  and  read 
indiscriminately  from  the  whole,  the  gospel, 
epistle,  or  collect  of  the  day,  what  opinion  would 
his  auditory  form  of  his  piety  or  his  morals?  And 
yet  there  is  much  of  truth  and  much  of  moral 
instruction  in  Gulliver's  Travels.  Far,  far  more 
of  wisdom  in  the  philosophers  of  the  flying  island 
of  Lagado,  than  in  the  bungling  metamorphosis 
of  Hiram,  the  Tyrian  brass-founder  at  the  build- 
ing of*  Solomon's  Temple,  into  a  Master  Mason, 
or  in  the  ''  butcheries  which  would  disgust  a  sav- 
age "  executed  upon  the  three  Tyrian  Fellow- 
id 


226  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

crafts,  and  which  you  require  of  the  candidates 
for  admission  to  the  three  first  degrees,  to  invoke 
upon  themselves. 

These  are  the  practices  which  some  of  the 
ardent  and  zealous  Antimasons  of  Vermont  may 
possibly  have  qualified  as  blasphemous.  I  am 
not  willing  to  consider  them  as  such.  That  very 
secrecy  under  which  they  are  performed,  and 
which  otherwise  constitutes  one  of  the  most  pow- 
erful objections  to  the  institution,  may  perhaps 
relieve  it  from  the  charge  of  blasphemy.  The 
intention  is  not  to  provoke  contempt  and  ridicule 
upon  the  Scriptures,  although  the  eflTect  of  them, 
as  dramatic  fictions,  must  often  be  to  produce  it. 
When  John  Milton  published  his  Paradise  Lost, 
Andrew  Marvell  declared  that  he  for  some  time 
misdoubted  his  intent  : 

Thai  he  would  ruin 
The  sacred  truths  to  fable  and  old  song — 

And  he  adds — 

Or  if  a  work  so  infinite  be  spanned, 
Jealous  I  was  that  sume  less  skillful  hand, 
Might  hence  presume  the  whole  creation's  day. 
To  change  in  scenes,  and  show  it  in  a  play. 

That  which  the  penetrating  sagacity  and  sin- 
cere piety  of  Andrew  Marvell  apprehended  as  an 
evil  which  mio^ht  result  even  from  the   sublime 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  227 

strains  of  the  Paradise  Lost,  is  precisely  what  the 
contrivers  of  the  Masonic  mysteries  have  effected. 
They  have  travestied  the  awful  and  miraculous 
supernatural  communications  of  the  ineffable  Je- 
hovah to  his  favored  people,  into  stage  plays. 
That  Word,  which  in  the  beginning  was  with 
God,  and  was  God;  that  abstract,  incorporeal, 
essential,  and  ever-living  existence ;  that  eternal 
presence  without  piast,  without  future  time ;  that 
Being,  without  beginning  of  days  or  end  of  years, 
declared  to  Moses  under  the  name  of  I  AM 
THAT  I  AM,  the  mountebank  juggleries  of 
Masonry  turn  into  a  farce.  A  companion  of  the 
Royal  Arch  personates  Almighty  God,  and  de- 
clares himself  the  Being  of  all  eternity — I  AM 
THAT  I  AM.  Your  intention  in  the  perform- 
ance of  this  ceremony  is  to  strike  the  imagination 
of  the  candidate  with  terror  and  amazement.  1 
acquit  the  fraternity,  therefore,  of  blasphemy. 
But  I  can  not  acquit  them  of  extreme  indiscre- 
tion, and  inexcusable  abuse  of  the  Holy  Script- 
ures. The  sealed  obligation,  the  drinking  of 
wine  from  a  human  skull,  is  a  ceremony  not  less 
objectionable.  This,  you  know,  sir,  is  the  scene 
in  which  the  candidate  takes  the  skull  in  his  hand 
and  says,  "As  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  were 
laid  upon  the  head  of  our  Savior,  so  may  the  sins 
of  the   person   whose   skull  this    once   was,   be 


228  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

heaped  upon  my  head  in  addition  to  my  own;  and 
may  they  appear  in  judgment  against  me,  both 
here  and  hereafter,  should  I  violate  any  obliga- 
tion in  Masonry  or  the  orders  of  knight- 
hood which  I  have  heretofore  taken,  take  at 
this  time,  or  may  be  hereafter  instructed  in,  so 
help  me  Godj"  and  he  drinks  the  wine  from  the 
skull. 

And  is  not  this  enough  ?  No.  The  Knight 
Templar  takes  an  oath  containing  many  promises 
— ^binding  himself  under  no  less  penalty  than  to 
have  his  head  struck  off  and  placed  on  the  high- 
est spire  in  Christendom,  should  he  knowingly  or 
willingly  violate  any  part  of  his  solemn  obliga- 
tion of  a  Knight  Templar. 

Mr.  Livingston,  is  this  a  fitting  obligation  for 
a  Christian  man  to  take  or  to  administer  ?  Can 
you,  can  any  man,  be  surprised  if  some  of  the 
Antimasons  of  Vermont  have  mistaken  it  for 
blasphemy  ?  "When  the  Masons  of  Vermont,  or 
when  the  Grand  Encampment  of  the  United 
States  shall  feel  sufficient  confidence  in  their  own 
integrity  to  meet  the  real  charges  against  the  in- 
stitution face  to  face,  let  theni  not  resort  to  the 
refuge  of  secrecy,  as  a  hunted  ostrich  hides  his 
head  in  the  sand — let  them  frankly  acknowledge 
the  dramatic  exhibition  of  the  burning  bush,  and 
the  mystical  cup  of  the  fifth  libation,  and  give 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  229 

their  definition  of  blasphemy  from  which  these 
practices  shall  be  pure. 

And  these  remarks  apply  eqaally  to  the  decla- 
rations of  the  Masons  in  Connecticut,  and  of  the 
twelve  hundred  in  Massachusetts.  The  report  of 
the  committee  of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  says  that  these  declarations  were  made 
with  apparent  sincerity  of  heart,  that  they  denied 
the  charges  against  them  [the  Masons],  "and  uni- 
versally cast  themselves  and  their  cause  upon  the 
good  sense  of  the  country,  for  a  calm,  dispassion- 
ate, and  enlightened  verdict." 

And  here  the  report  of  the  committee  rested 
the  statement  respecting  the  condition  of  Mason- 
ry in  Vermont,  Connecticut,  and  Massachusetts. 
The  meeting  of  the  General  Grand  Eoyal  Arch 
Chapter  was  held  at  the  close  of  November,  1832. 
The  committee  was  raised  to  report  upon  the 
present  condition  of  Masonry — and  they  report  a 
declaration  of  two  hundred  Masons  in  Vermont 
in  1829,  and  a  declaration  of  twelve  hundred  Ma- 
sons of  Massachusetts  in  1831. 

Mr.  Slade's  essays  upon  the  Masonic  penalties 
were  published  in  Vermont  in  1830,  a  year  after 
the  appeal  of  the  two  hundred  Masons.  The 
charters  of  incorporation  of  the  Masonic  lodges 
in  Vermont  were  revoked  by  the  legislature  of 
that  state  in  1831.      An  Antimasonic  governor 


230  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

and  council,  and  Antimasonic  electors  of  presi- 
dent and  vice-president  of  the  United  States, 
were  elected  in  1831  and  1832 — the  last  within 
one  month  before  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States. 
These  were  all  significant  indications  of  the  ver- 
dict passed  by  the  people  of  Vermont  upon  the 
appeal  of  the  two  hundred  Masons  of  1829.  But 
upon  all  these,  the  committee  of  the  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States  observe  a 
"dignified  silence."  Like  the  Rhode  Island 
grand  lodge,  with  regard  to  the  kidnapping  and 
murder  of  Morgan  by  Royal  Arch  Masons,  they 
knew  nothing  about  it. 

The  declaration  of  the  twelve  nundred  Masons 
of  Massachusetts  was  published  in  December, 
1831.  In  ^September,  1832,  less  than  three 
months  before  the  meeting  of  the  General  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  a  state 
Antimasonic  convention  was  held  at  "Worcester, 
at  which  an  address  was  adopted  containing  a 
counter  declaration  to  that  of  the  twelve  hundred. 
A  committee  of  that  convention  tendered  to  the 
grand  lodge  and  grand  chapter  an  issue  upon 
thirty-eight  specific  allegations  against  the  Ma- 
sonic institution,  to  be  tried  in  any  form  best 
adapted  to  establish  truth  and  expose  imposition. 
And  what  was  the  answer  of  the  twelve  hundred 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  231 

Masons  who  had  made  the  declaration?  "Di^ui- 
lied  silence."  What  was  the  answer  of  the  grand 
lodge  and  grand  chapter  of  Massachusetts?  "Dig- 
^nified  silence."  And  what  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States,  on  the  [then]  present  condition  of 
the  Masonic  institution?  "Dignified  silence." 
The  twelve  hundred  Masons  of  Massachusetts, 
like  the  two  hundred  Masons  of  Vermont,  make 
a  statement  of  charges  which  they  can  safely 
deny, — assume  them  as  the  charges  of  the  Anti- 
masons  against  them,  deny  them,  and  then  put 
themselves  upon  the  country.  When  the  Auti- 
masons  tender  them  a  direct  issue,  upon  specific 
charges,  equally  serious  and  explicit,  the  twelve 
hundred— the  grand  lodge,  the  grand  chapter — 
all  stand  mute,  and  the  report  of  the  committee  of 
the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States,  upon  the  present  condition  of  the 
Masonic  institution,  goes  back  one,  two,  and 
three  years  to  tell  of  the  declarations  of  Masons 
in  Massachusetts  and  in  Vermont.  But  as  to  any 
Antiniasonic  refutation  of  those  declarations,  the 
committee  knew  nothing  about  it. 

The  report  of  the  committee  of  the  General 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States 
was  therefore  an  incorrect  representation  of  the 
state  of  the  Masonic  institution,  so   far  as  con- 


232  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

cerned  the  states  of  Massachusetts  and  Vermont, 
nor  was  it  more  accurate  in  its  reference  to  the 
state  of  Masonry  in  Rhode  Island. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  EDWARD  LIVINGSTON,  ESQ. 

Quincy,  23  July,  1833. 
Sir: — You  have  seen  in  my  last  letter,  the  state- 
ment made  by  the  committee  of  the  General 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States, 
at  their  meeting  in  November  last,  of  the  then 
present  condition  of  the  Masonic  institution,  in 
the  states  of  Vermont,  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut. You  have  seen  that  to  exhibit  this  j^res- 
ent  condition  of  the  craft,  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee traveled  backward  in  the  race  of  time,  one, 
two,  and  three  years,  to  the  declarations  of  their 
own  innocence,  by  certain  Masons  of  those  states, 
the  exclamation  of  Macbeth  to  Banquo — "  Thou 
canst  not  say  I  did  it!"  But  that  upon  the  more 
recent  events — the  revocation  of  the  Masonic 
charters  in  Vermont,  the  successive  issues  of  the 
popular  elections  in  that  state  and  the  thirty-eight 
specific  charges  against  Masonry  tendered  by  the 
committee   of   the    Antimasonic    convention    at 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  233 

"Worcester,  to  the  presiding  officers  of  the  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Massachusetts  and  of  the 
grand  lodge;  upon  all  this,  the  committee  of  the 
General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States  observed  a  profound  and  "dignified  si- 
lence." And  yet,  sir,  that  issue  of  thirty-eight 
charges  had  been  tendered  on  the  eleventh  of 
September,  1882 — nearly  nine  months  after  the 
declaration  of  the  twelve  hundred  Masons  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  less  than  three  months  before  the 
meeting  of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chap- 
ter of  the  United  States  at  Baltimore. 

Now,  sir,  was  not  the  presiding  officer  of  the 
Grand  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  of  Massa- 
chusetts, to  whom  this  issue  was  tendered,  the 
identical  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the  Gen- 
eral Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States,  which  made  this  report  on  the  then  present 
condition  of  Masonry  in  the  United  States?  And 
if  he  was,  upon  what  principle  admissible  in  a 
narrative  of  realities,  could  a  report  upon  the 
^present  condition  of  Masonry  in  the  United 
States,  go  back  three  years  for  declarations  of  Ma- 
sonic innocence,  and  overlook  or  totally  suppress 
the  recent  and  actually  present  charges  of  Masonic 
guilt,  which  must  have  been  yet  sounding  in  the 
ears  of  the  chairman  of  the  General  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  who  made  the  report  ?     Is  not  the 


234  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

chroaology  of  Masonry  as  peculiar  to  itself  as  its 
logic? 

The  committee  upoa  the  present  condition  of 
Masonry  in  the  United  States  proceeded  further  to 
report,  that  from  certain  documents  which  had 
been, /or  a  long  time  before  the  public,  it  appeared 
that  very  different  measures  in  relation  to  the  sub- 
ject had  been  adopted  in  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island;  and  so  the  committee  reporting  upon  the 
'present  condition  of  the  institution,  chose  to  resort 
only  to  documents  which  had  been  a  long  time 
before  the  public.     They  say, 

That  in  Rhode  Island,  "a  memorial  emanating 
from  an  Antimasonic  convention,  held  in  Decem- 
ber, 1830,  charging  the  grand  lodge  and  other 
Masonic  bodies  with  violations  of  the  constitution 
and  the  laws  of  the  land,  was  formally  presented 
to  the  legislature  of  the  state,  and  the  grand  lodge, 
in  reviewing  that  memorial,  challenged  the  strict- 
est scrutiny,  and  offered  the  greatest  facilities  to 
an  investigation  of  all  their  concerns;"  but  tiiat 
"it  seems,  however,  that  after  the  most  laborious 
and  patient  investigation  of  the  subjects  referred 
to  in  the  memorial  by  an  able  and  impartial  com- 
mittee, the  lodges  were  sustained  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  the  state,  and  were  virtually  and  tri- 
umphantly acquitted  from  all  the  charges  which 
had  been  brought  against  them." 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  235 

And  who  would  imagine  tliat  within  two  months 
after  this  representation  of  the  present  condition 
of  Masonry  in  Rhode  Island,  the  legislature  of 
that  state  did,  by  unanimous  assent  in  both  houses, 
enact  a  law,  prohibiting  the  administration  of  all 
extrajudicial  and  of  course  of  all  Masonic  oaths, 
upon  no  less  penalties  than  a  fine  of  one  hundred 
dollars  for  the  first  offense,  and  political  disfran- 
chisement for  the  second?  This  was  the  first 
result  of  that  investigation,  which  the  committee 
of  the  General  Grand  Koyal  Arch  Chapter  consider 
as  having  issued  so  triumphantly  for  the  lodges 
and  chapters  of  Rhode  Island. 

They  pronounce  the  investigating  committee  of 
the  Rhode  Island  legislature  "able  and  impartial." 
Of  their  ability  no  question  will  be  made;  but 
where  did  the  reporter  of  the  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States  find  the  evidence  of 
their  impartiality?  Was  it  in  the  report  of  the 
majority,  or  in  that  of  the  minority  of  the  investi- 
gating committee?  Was  it  in  tiie  exclusion  by 
the  majority  of  the  committee,  of  the  very  me- 
morialists who  had  brought  the  charges  against 
Masonry  before  the  legislature,  from  all  participa- 
tion in  the  investigation?  Was  it  in  the  bargain 
made  by  the  chairman  of  the  committee  with  the 
Masonic  dignitaries  of  the  state,  that  if  they 
would  give  their  obligations,  they  should  not  b^ 


236  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

questioned  about  their  secrets? — a  bargain  made 
without  the  knowledge  or  consent  of  at  least  one 
member  of  the  committee — a  bargain  to  which 
the  Masonic  authorities  held  the  committee  of  the 
legislature  so  strictly,  that  they  repeatedly  refused 
to  answer  questions  most  pertinent  to  the  investi- 
gation, appealing  to  the  chairman  himself  for  the 
performance  of  his  promise,  that  they  should  not 
be  required  to  disclose  any  of  their  secrets.  Is 
that  the  impartiality  of  a  legislative  investigation 
of  charges  of  crimination? — first  to  exclude  those 
who  make  the  charges,  from  all  participation  in 
the  process  of  inquiry — and  then  to  contract  with 
the  parties  accused,  that  they  shall  be  privileged 
to  refuse  answering  upon  everything  which  they 
choose  to  keep  secret.  This  was  the  course  of 
proceeding  of  this  impartial  committee. 

You  are  too  well  acquainted  with  the  prevail- 
ing politics  in  the  legislature  of  Rhode  Island,  at 
the  time  when  this  committee  was  appointed,  not 
to  know,  that  the  main  object  of  its  appointment 
was  to  put  down  Antimasonry  in  Ehode  Island. 
The  resolution  for  appointing  it  was  prepared  by 
the  chairman,  but  was  offered  by  another  mem- 
ber. In  urging  the  passage  of  the  resolution, 
both  these  persons  indulged  themselves  in  bitter 
invectives  against  the  Antimasons,  and  the  report 
of  the  majority  of  the  committee  carries  upon 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  237 

every  page  tlie  most  conclusive  internal  evidence 
that  the  purpose  for  which  the  committee  was 
raised,  was  to  screen  the  Masonic  institution  and 
brotherhood  from  the  investigation  which  had 
been  demanded  by  the  Antimasonic  memorial,  and 
to  substitute  in  its  place  a  colorable  examination, 
upon  Avhich  the  Masons  should  answer  just  so 
much  as  should  suit  themselves,  and  fall  back  upon 
their  obligations  of  secrecy  whenever  they  should 
think  a  disclosure  adverse  to  their  interests. 

The  proceedings  of  the  majority  of  the  commit- 
tee were  conformable  to  the  principles  with  which 
they  entered  upon  the  performance  of  the  service 
assigned  to  them.  The  examination  was  so  con- 
ducted that  the  Masonic  witnesses  answered  just 
so  far  as  they  thought  proper,  and  when  a  ques- 
tion was  put,  which  from  very  shame  they  loathed 
to  answer,  they  appealed  to  their  agreement  with 
the  chairman,  and  set  the  inquiry  at  defiance. 

The  committee  stated  in  their  report  that, 
aware  of  the  scruples  of  the  Masonic  witnesses 
about  disclosing  their  Masonic  secrets,  which  they 
had  promised  not  to  disclose,  they  "  resolved  unan- 
imously that  they  would  require  the  Masons  to 
communicate  to  them  fully,  their  Masonic  oaths 
or  obligations,  and  to  answer  all  questions  which 
should  be  asked  respecting  them — those  obliga- 
tions not  being   considered  as  part  of  their  se- 


238  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

crets" — but  "as  to  their  signs,  and  tokens,  and 
words,  contrived  to  enable  Masons,  and  none  oth- 
ers, to  enter  lodges  and  to  distinguish  one  another 
from  those  not  Masons,  a  majority  of  the  commit- 
tee believed  that  the  public  loould  have  no  curiosity 
about  thern,  and  that  it  would  not  be  a  profitable 
or  creditable  employment  for  the  committee  to 
endeavor  to  pry  into  them." 

Admirable  impartiality!  Unlawful  and  immor- 
al secret  rites  and  ceremonies,  was  the  first  and 
foremost  of  all  the  charges  against  Masonry,  from 
the  sinking  of  their  victim  in  the  waters  of  the 
Niagara  River.  The  supreme  legislative  authority 
of  the  state  are  called  upon  to  investigate  the 
subject.  They  appoint  a  committee  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  committee,  possessed  of  the  wliole 
authority  of  the  state  to  command  testimony  and 
elicit  the  whole  truth,  begin  by  excluding  the 
accusers  from  all  participation  in  the  inquiry,  and 
then  bargain  with  the  accused  to  ask  no  questions 
about  their  secrets,  if  they  will  but  divulge  what 
they  themselves  consider  as  no  secret  at  all. 

I  do  not  propose  to  follow  the  majority  of  the 
committee  through  the  mazes  of  their  most  ex- 
traordinary report.  The  report  of  Mr.  Sprague, 
the  member  of  the  committee  whose  views  diti'er- 
ed  from  those  of  his  colleagues,  and  the  authentic 
report  of  their  proceedings  by  Benjamin  F.  Hal- 


ON  FREEM  A80NRY.  239 

lett  and  George  Turner,  have  shown  in  full  relief 
the  meaning  of  the  word  impartiality^  as  exempli- 
fied by  the  committee  and  their  chairman  who 
drew  up  their  report.  And  yet,  so  far  was  the 
committee  entitled  to  the  praise  of  impartial- 
ity, that  they  came  unanimously  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  institution  of  Freemasonry  oiKjht  to  he 
abolished,  and  the  report  concludes  with  an  earnest 
and  eloquent  exhortation  to  the  Masonic  fraternity 
to  abandon  it. 

Is  it  not  very  remarkable  that  the  report  to  the 
General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Cijapter  of  the  United 
States,  upon  the  ]?resent  condition  of  Masonry, 
which  so  highly  approves  this  report  of  the  Rhode 
Island  investigating  committee,  takes  not  the 
slightest  notice  of  this  their  opinion  and  exhorta- 
tion? The  Grand  Royal  Arch  report  affirms  that 
upon  the  report  of  the  Rhode  Island  investigating 
committee,  "the  lodges  were  sustained  by  the 
legislature  of  the  state."  Sustained!  this  "able 
and  impartial"  committee  says: 

"It  can  not  be  doubted  that  the  lodges  and 
chapters  in  that  part  of  the  state  [of  New  York] 
had  it  fully  in  their  power  to  have  detected  and 
brought  to  justice  many  of  the  criminals  con- 
cerned in  the  abduction  of  Morgan,  if  not  those 
concerned  in  his  murder.  And  yet  we  do  not 
find  that  they  have  expelled  a  single  member,  or 


240  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

made  any  manner  of  inquiry  about  them.  Can  it 
be  denied  that  by  such  conduct  those  lodges  and 
chapters  have  implicated  themselves  in  the  guilt 
of  those  transactions,  and  made  themselves  re- 
sponsible for  it?  And  not  they  alone  are  impli- 
cated. The  higher  3Iasonic  authorities,  to  whom 
they  are  subordinate  and  accountable,  are  equally 
implicated  and  responsible.^^ 

The  higher  authorities,  to  whom  the  chapters 
in  that  part  of  the  State  of  ISqw  York  are  subor- 
dinate and  accountable,  are,  the  grand  chapter  of 
the  state,  and  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States.,  Yes,  sir,  in  this 
passage  of  the  Rhode  Island  "able  and  impartial" 
investigating  committee's  report,  the  very  chapter 
of  which  you  are  the  high-priest,  the  General 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States, 
is  implicitly  charged  with  being  implicated  and 
responsible  for  the  guilt  of  the  murder  of  Mor- 
gan. How  comes  it,  sir,  that  the  committee  of 
the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the 
United  States,  reporting  upon  the  present  condi- 
tion of  Masonry,  and  expressly  referring  to  this 
report  of  the  investigating  legislative  committee 
f  Rhode  Island,  should  have  overlooked  entirely 
this  charge  against  the  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chap- 
ter of  the  United  States  itself?  How  dared  that 
committee  to  affirm  that,  as  the  result  of  that  in- 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  241 

vestigation,  the  lodges  were  sustained  by  the 
legislature  of  the  state?  The  report  of  the 
Rhode  Island  investigating  committee  expressly 
charges  the  grand  chapter  of  New  York,  and  the 
General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States,  with  being  implicated  in  and  responsible 
for  the  murder  of  Morgan,  and  tbe  atrocious 
transactions  connected  with  it ;  and  the  report  of 
the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  of  the 
United  States  calls  this  a  triumphant  acquittal  of 
the  lodges  of  Rhode  Island  ! 

Permit  me,  sir,- to  present  to  your  consideration 
two  more  extracts  from  the  same  report  of  the 
majority  of  the  Rhode  Island  investigating  com- 
mittee : 

"The  old  forms  of  the  oaths,  which  are  still  ad- 
hered to,  are  extremely  improper.  It  is  true  that 
the  construction  which  the  Masons  put  upon  them 
in  this  state  [Rhode  Island]  renders  them  harm- 
less, but  that  is  by  no  means  the  natural  construc- 
tion of  the  language  itself.  The  oaths  taken  by 
themselves,  without  being  corrected  and  control- 
led by  the  addresses  and  charges,  are,  according  to 
the  terms,  of  them,  clearly  criminal.  And  can  it 
be  proper  to  take  obligations,  the  different  parts 
of  which  are  in  direct  collision  with  and  con- 
tradiction to  each  other,  and  yet  the  whole  to  be 
sworn  to. 

61 


242  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

"But  it  is  an  insurmountable  objection  to  those 
oaths  that  they  are  liable  to  a  construction  which 
renders  them  in  the  highest  degree  criminal  and 
dangerous ;  and  that  such  a  construction  has 
actually  been  put  upon  them  by  Masons,  and  has 
been  productive  of  the  most  dreadful  conse- 
quences." 

The  following  is  the  concluding  sentence  of 
the  report: 

"  This  committee  can  not  but  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  Masons  owe  it  to  the  community, 
to  themselves,  and  to  sound  principles,  now  to 
discontinue  the  Masonic  institutions." 

To  what  a  desperate  extremity  must  the  com- 
mittee of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter 
of  the  United  States  have  been  reduced  for  mat- 
ter to  report  upon  the  present  condition  of  Ma- 
sonry, when  they  were  willing  to  accept  and 
represent  this  as  a  triumphant  acquittal  of  the 
Rhode  Island  lodges  and  chapters  I 

Yet  this  was  a  report  of  a  committee  so  partial 
to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  that,  invested  with  the 
entire  legislative  power  to  investigate  their  insti- 
tution, they  did  in  fact  abdicate  their  legitimate 
rights  and  powers,  by  a  bargain  with  the  Masons, 
to  screen  ihem  from  the  exposure  of  their  most 
odious  ceremonies.  They  accepted  and  counte- 
nanced a  fraudulent  explanation,  and  pretended 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  243 

construction  of  the  penalties  of  the  Masonic  oaths. 
Fraudulent,  as  every  Master  Mason  must  know 
who  at  his  reception  is  told  that  the  penalties  are, 
and  have  been  from  the  buildiog  of  Solomon's 
Temple,  the  same  penalties  which  were  executed 
upon  the  murderers  of  Hiram  Abiff. 

The  allegation  by  the  Rhode  Island  committee, 
that  they  considered  it  an  unprofitable  employ- 
ment to  be  prying  into  Masonic  secrets  would  be 
more  plausible,  if  those  secrets  consisted  only  of 
the  "signs,  and  tokens,  and  words,  contrived  to 
enable  Masons,  and  none  others,  to  enter  lodges, 
and  to  distinguish  one  another  from  those  not 
Masons;"  but  how  is  the  fact?  The  tokens  and 
pass-words  are,  to  be  sure,  of  the  character  de- 
scribed by  Sir  Tobey  Belch  in  Shakspeare's 
Twelfth  Night,  "most  excellent,  sense-?ess."  But 
the  signs  are  explanatory  of  the  true  meaning  of 
the  penalties,  and  when  the  committee  compelled 
the  Masons  to  give  the  loords  of  their  obligations, 
was  it  not  an  incongruous  scruple  of  delicacy,  to 
draw  the  veil  over  the  coincident  signs  which 
give  to  those  words  their  most  energetic  signif- 
icancy  ? 

Under  the  exceedingly  accommodating  indul- 
gence of  the  investigating  committee  the  Knights 
Templars  of  Rhode  Island  were  permitted  to 
skulk  from  all  testimony  relating  to  the  fifth  liba- 


244  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

tion,  denominated  in  Masonic  language  the  sealed 
obligation.  How  the  committee,  consistently  with 
their  own  rule,  could  release  the  witnesses  from 
testifying  to  that  pious  solemnity,  it  is  not  easy  to 
see.  The  oath  of  the  Knight  Templar  has,  like 
the  rest,  a  penalty  which  is,  having  the  swearer's 
skull  smitten  off  and  suspended  to  "  rest  high  on 
spires,"  as  the  Masonic  minstrels  deliciously  sing; 
and  that  oath  and  penalty  the  Rhode  Island 
Knights  did  give  according  to  contract  with  the 
committee.  But  the  fifth  libation  is  an  obligation, 
of  higher  order.  The  temporal  penalties  of  cruel 
death  and  barbarous  mutilation  are  not  sufficient 
to  bind  the  conscience  of  the  Knight  Templar. 
In  the  fifth  libation  he  invokes  eternal  punish- 
ment upon  his  immortal  soul.  He  calls  upon 
God,  his  creator,  to  visit  upon  him  at  the  judg- 
ment-day, not  only  his  own  sins,  but  all  the  sins 
of  his  fellow-mortal  man,  from  whose  skull  he 
quaffs  the  cup  of  abomination  and  ot  mystery. 

The  most  remarkable  scene  in  the  investigation 
of  the  Rhode  Island  committee  was  that  in  which 
William  Wilkinson,  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a  man 
of  most  respectable  character,  was  examined  \>"ith 
reference  to  this  sealed  obligation — the  fifth  liba- 
tion. The  words  always  uttered  before  drinking 
the  wine  from  the  skull,  were  read  to  him  from 
Allyn'a  Ritual,  page    250,  and    he    was    asked 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  245 

whether  they  were  administered  to  him  on  taking 
the  Knight  Templar's  obligation.  lie  answered, 
"  These  words  made  no  part  of  the  obligation 
which  was  administered  to  me  on  taking  the 
Knight  Templar's  degree. 

From  this  answer  an  unlearned  and  uninitiated 
person  would  naturally  conclude  that  these  words 
form  no  part  of  the  ceremony  of  initiation  to  the 
Knights  Templars'  degree,  and  it  is  from  denials 
of  precisely  the  same  character  as  this  that  the 
great  mass  of  adhering  Masons,  ministers  of  the 
Holy  gospel  included,  have  labored  to  blast  the 
credit  of  Allyn's  and  Bernard's  books ;  but  Mr. 
"Wilkinson's  denial  hinged  upon  the  word  obliga- 
tion only.  There  is,  as  I  have  remarked,  another 
obligation  administered  to  the  Knight  Templar, 
on  taking  his  degree,  and  that  obligation  was 
among  those  furnished  to  the  committee.  That 
was  the  obligation  which  Mr.  Wilkinson  had  in 
his  mental  contemplation  when  he  denied  that  the 
words  of  the  sealed  obligation  were  part  of  the 
obligation  administered  to  him.  Had  the  exam* 
ination  rested  there,  well  might  the  committee  of 
the  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States  have  boasted  of  the  triumphant  acquittal 
of  the  Rhode  Island  Masons.  But  here  the  ex- 
amination did  not  rest.  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  asked 
whether  these  said  words  were  used  in  any  ceremo- 


213  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

ny  of  initiation  to  the  Knights  Templars'  degree? 
His  answer  was,  "  In  regard  to  the  secrets  or  cer- 
emonies of  this  or  any  other  other  degrees  in 
Masonry,  I  neither  affirm  nor  deny  anything." 
Upon  this  there  was  some  altercation  between  the 
witness  and  the  chairman  of  the  committee,  who 
very  justly  considered  this  as  an  obligation  which 
the  Masons  were  bound  to  give ;  but  instead  of 
exercising  the  authority  vested  in  the  committee 
by  the  legislature,  and  exacting  an  answer,  he 
argued  with  the  witness  to  persuade  him  to  an- 
swer, and  finished  by  submitting  to  his  refusal. 
This  was  indeed  the  triumph  of  Masonry ;  not  the 
triumph  of  acquitted  innocence,  but  the  triumph 
of  sturdy  contumacy,  setting  at  defiance  the  leg- 
islative authority  of  the  state. 

That  Mr.  Wilkinson  should  be  ashamed  to  ac- 
knowledge that  he  had  ever  pronounced,  with  an 
appeal  to  God,  such  words  as  those,  and  accom- 
panied them  with  such  an  action,  is  creditable  to 
his  sense  of  discrimination  between  right  and 
wrong.  The  sealed  obligation  is  not  one  of  those 
signs,  grips,  tokens,  or  pass-words  by  which  the 
Masonic  fraternity  discern  the  genuine  from  the 
spurious  impostor.  It  is  one  of  the  obligations  of 
the  craft  which  the  committee  had  determined  to 
require,  and  which  the  Rhode  Island  Masons 
were  bound  by  the  terms  of  their  agreement  with 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  247 

the  chairmau  of  the  committee  to  give.  The  fifth 
libation,  therefore, — the  potation  from  the  skull 
of  "Old  Simon," — and  the  invocation  of  all  the 
sins,  heinous  and  deadly  as  they  may  be,  of 
another  man  upon  the  head  of  the  self-devoted 
Knight  Templar,  are  yet,  so  far  as  adhering  Ma- 
sonic acknowledgment  is  concerned,  "undivulged 
crimes — unwhipped  of  justice."  Mr.  Wilkinson 
did  not  venture  to  deny  that  the  words  of  the 
sealed  obligation  were  precisely  those  recorded  in 
AUyn's  Ritual — he  neither  affirmed  nor  denied. 
The  full  adhering  Masonic  authentication  of  the 
sealed  obligation  is  reserved  for  the  investigation 
of  a  committee  more  resolute  and  less  compro- 
mising with  the  transcendent  sovereignty  of  Free- 
masonry than  the  Rhode  Island  Committee  was 
found  to  be.  A  more  searching  investigation  of 
the  laws  of  the  Masonic  empire  will  be  required 
to  discover,  in  all  its  loveliness,  that  feature  of  its 
code.  In  the  Rhode  Island  investigations  another 
witness,  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  upon  being 
asked  if  he  had  drank  wine  from  a  human  skull, 
answered,  "I  do  not  know  that  it  can  affect  the 
interest  of  any  one  whether  I  drank  wine  out  of  a 
skull,  a  tin-cup,  or  a  basin."  A  third  witness 
declined  answering  the  question. 

In  the  251st  page  of  Allyn's  Ritual — the  very 
next  page  after  that  which  discloses  the  formula 


248  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

used  in  drinking  the  fifth  libation — there  is  the 
following  note : 

"The  sealed  obligation  is  referred  to  by  Tem- 
plars, in  confidential  communications  relative  to 
matters  of  vast  importance,  when  other  Masonic 
obligations  seem  insufiicient  to  secure  secrecy, 
silence,  and  safety.  Such,  for  instance,  was  the 
murder  of  William  Morgan,  which  was  communi- 
cated from  one  Templar  to  another  under  the 
pledge  and  upon  this  sealed  obligation.  The  at- 
tentive ear  receives  the  sound  from  the  instructive 
tongue ;  and  the  mysteries  of  Freemasonry  were 
safely  lodged  in  the  repository  of  faithful  breasts 
—  until  it  was  communicated  in  St.  John's  Hall, 
l^ew  York,  in  an  encampment  of  Knights  Tem- 
plars, March  10,  1828." 

To  this  fact  Mr.  Allyn  made  oath  before  a 
magistrate  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  that  it 
was  so  communicated  to  him  at  an  encampment 
of  Knights  Templars.  Of  the  pains  that  have 
been  taken  to  discredit  Allyn's  testimony  it  is  not 
necessary  for  me  to  speak;  but  in  the  twenty- 
second  of  Col.  Stone's  Letters,  page  238,  there  is 
a  frank  and  full  acknowledgment  by  him,  himself 
a  Knight  Templar,  that  after  having  long  totally 
disbelieved  the  statement,  he  did  finally  satisfy 
himself  that  it  was  substantially  true. 

With  the  thoughts  that  crowd  upon  me  in  re- 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  249 

curring  to  this  proof  of  the  power  and  practices 
of  Masonry  I  will  not  now  trouble  you  or  the 
public.  The  legislature  of  Rhode  Island,  after 
such  an  investigation  even  as  this,  prohibited  the 
administration  of  all  extrajudicial  oaths.  How 
their  committee  could  submit  to  the  suppression  of 
Masonic  testimony  to  the  sealed  obligation  is  not 
easily  explained.  But  the  agonies  of  the  Knights 
Templars  at  the  very  call  upon  them  to  testify  to 
the  sealed  obligation  are  eloquent  commentaries 
upon  the  note  in  the  251st  page  of  Allyn's  Ritual, 
and  upon  the  candid  acknowledgment  in  Col. 
Stone's  twenty-second  letter. 

And  so,  sir,  the  murder  of  William  Morgan 
was,  by  one  of  its  perpetrators,  regularly  commu- 
nicated to  an  encampment  of  Knights  Templars 
in  the  city  of  Kew  York,  in  March,  1828,  and 
those  Knights  Templars  (Col.  Stone,  who  certifies 
to  the  fact,  knows  not  who  they  are — he  thinks 
them  unworthy,  but  in  the  vocabulary  of  the 
handmaid  they  are  worthy  Masons,)  assisted  this 
murderer,  and  furnished  him  with  the  means  of 
escaping  from  the  retribution  of  public  justice 
and  the  laws  of  the  land ! 

And  yet  this  was  entirely  conformable  to  the 
laws  of  Masonry.  It  interfered  in  no  respect  with 
the  religion  or  politics  of  any  one  Knight  Tem- 
plar of  the  encampment!     It  was  a  memorable 


250  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

exemplification  of  the  promise  to  assist  a  worthy 
brother  in  extricating  him  from  difficulty,  wheth- 
er he  is  right  or  wrong.  It  was  most  sincerely 
explanatory  of  the  obligation  to  conceal  the  se- 
crets of  a  worthy  brother,  murder  and  treason  not 
excepted,  or  excepted  at  the  option  of  the  Sir 
Knight  himself — and  it  did  not  even  exact  of  the 
illustrious  brotherhood  that  they  should  go  bare- 
foot to  apprize  this  "western  sufterer"  of  the 
danger  with  which  he  was  threatened;  and  these 
transactions  all  occurred  before  the  revelation  of 
the  obligations  of  the  higher  degrees  of  Masonry 
by  the  Le  Roy  convention  of  seceders,  on  the  4th 
of  July,  1828.  Of  these  facts,  thus  notorious, 
thus  abominable,  thus  undeniable,  why  have  the 
legislature,  why  has  the  executive  of  the  State  of 
Kew  York,  why  have  the  grand -juries  of  the  city 
never  been  informed!  Why  have  the  General 
Grand  Encampment  of  the  United  States  observed 
upon  these  acts  of  men  under  their  jurisdiction  a 
dignified  silence?  Why,  but  because  they  have 
resolved  to  adhere,  and  have  recommended  to  the 
brotherhood  under  their  jurisdiction  to  adhere,  to 
the  ancient  landmarks  of  the  institution. 

Mr.  Livingston,  I  shall  here  close  the  series  of 
letters  which  I  have  addressed  to  you  as  the  head 
and  most  conspicuous  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  in  these  United  States — holding  at  the 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  251 

same  time  offices  of  higla  dignity,  power,  and  in- 
fluence in  the  government  of  the  Union.  The 
General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States,  of  which  you  are  the  grand  high-priest, 
did,  at  their  triennial  meeting  at  Baltimore  last 
ISTovemher,  highly  commend  certain  chapters  and 
lodges  which  had  changed,  most  essentially 
changed,  their  own  nature,  hy  substituting  the 
study  of  the  useful  arts  and  sciences  for  the  mis- 
erable fooleries  of  their  pageantry,  and  did  ear- 
nestly recommend  to  all  the  chapters  under  their 
jurisdiction  the  same  excellent  reformation  and 
transformation.  It  was  that  recommendation 
which  suggested  to  me  the  idea  of  calling  upon 
you  to  accomplish  a  revolution  still  more  useful 
and  commendable — the  abolition  of  all  the  execra- 
ble oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties,  which,  until 
they  shall  be  utterly  abolished,  are,  and  must  be, 
an  indelible  disgrace  to  the  institution.  If  you 
have  power  to  convert  your  lodges  into  lyceums, 
and  your  chapters  and  encampments  into  schools 
of  science,  you  can  not  lack  the  power  of  redeem- 
ing the  institution  from  the  infamy  of  lawless 
oaths,  of  barbarous  obligations,  of  brutal  penalties. 
With  that  infamy  your  institution  is  now  pol- 
luted, as  it  is  with  the  blood  of  William  Morgan, 
nor  can  the  "labor"  or  "refreshment"  of  all  the 
Royal  Arch  chapters  on  the  globe  wash  it  out. 


252  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

It  is  in  your  power,  sir,  to  remove  this  stum- 
bling-block and  this  foolishness  from  the  institu- 
tion over  which  you  preside,  forever.  Look  to 
the  seventh  chapter  of  the  First  Book  of  Kings 
and  you  will  find  that  Hiram  of  Tyre,  the  wid- 
ow's son,  who  worked  at  the  building  of  the 
temple  of  Solomon,  was  not  a  Mason,  but  "cun- 
ning to  work  all  works  in  brass."  "Whether  this 
fitted  him  the  better  for  the  selection  of  the  first 
contrivers  of  your  order,  as  the  founder  of  the 
craft,  is  a  problem  for  your  learned  and  especially 
for  your  clerical  antiquarians  to  solve;  but  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  workman  in  brass,  and  that  the 
two  pillars  in  the  porch  of  the  temple,  Jachin  and 
Boaz,  were  not  works  of  Masonry,  but  of  brass, 
stamps  with  gross  imposture  the  whole  history  of 
the  institution.  In  like  manner  every  pretension 
of  the  order  to  historical  connection  with  any 
portion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is  imposture,  and 
must  be  known  so  to  be  to  every  intelligent  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  who  takes  upon  himself  your 
obligations. 

The  existence  of  such  an  order  is  a  foul  blot 
upon  the  morals  of  a  community.  The  strength, 
the  glory,  the  happiness  of  a  nation,  are  all  cen- 
tered in  the  purity  of  its  morals ;  and  institutions 
founded  upon  imposture  are  the  worst  of  all  cor- 
ruptions, for   they  poison   the  public  morals  at 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  253 

their  fountains,  and  by  multiplying  the  accom- 
plices in  guilt  arm  them  with  the  confidence  of 
virtue. 

Whether  your  dignity  as  the  head  of  the  Royal 
Arch  of  this  Union  is  to  cease  upon  your  depart- 
ure from  this  country,  or  to  continue  during  your 
absence,  has  not  yet  been  announced  to  the  world; 
but  in  either  event  be  assured  that  neither  3'our 
Masonic  addresses,  nor  the  proceedings  of  the 
General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United 
States,  will  henceforth  pass  without  observation 
into  oblivion. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  MESSRS.  TIMOTHY  MERRILL,  HENRY  F.  JANES, 
•  MARTIN  FLINT.  CHARLES  DAVIS,  EDWARD  D. 
BARBER,  SAMUEL  N.  SWEET,  AND  AMOS  BLISS, 
COMMITTEE  OF  THE  ANTI-MASONIC  STATE 
CONVENTION,  HELD  AT  MONTPELIER,  IN  THE 
STATE  OF  VERMONT,  ON  THE  26th  OF  JUNE,  1833. 

Quincy,  17  July,  1833. 

Fellow  -  citizens : — I  have  received  with  great 
satisfaction  your  letter  of  the  27th  ult.,  and  with 
warm  sensibility  the  resolutions  which  you  have 
communicated  to  me  of  the  Antimasonic  Conven- 
tion, held  at  Montpelier  the  preceding  day. 

The  entire  character  of  the  institution  of  Free- 


254  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

masonry  has  not  yet  been  displayed  to  the  inspec- 
tion of  mankind.  That  it  is  essentially  vicious 
and  grossly  irrational  has  been  demonstrated  be- 
yond all  possibility  of  reply ;  but  the  extent  and 
degree  to  which  it  vitiates  the  morals  and  pros- 
trates the  intellect  of  its  votaries  has  not  yet 
been  wholly  disclosed.  It  is  among  the  most  or- 
dinary symptoms  of  mental  insanity  that  the  fac- 
ulty of  reason  is  sound  and  vigorous  upon  every 
subject  on  which  it  is  exercised  save  one,  and  at 
the  same  time  irrecoverably  distempered  at  that 
one.  There  are  similar  aberrations  of  moral  prin- 
ciple in  the  conduct  and  character  of  individuals; 
and  it  has  often  been  remarked  that  corporate 
bodies  of  men  are  capable  of  committing,  with- 
out a  blush,  acts  from  which  every  individual  of 
the  association  would  shrink  with  instinctive 
horror. 

The  institution  of  Freemasonry  is  founded  upon 
historical  imposture, — and,  can  a  Christian  remark 
it  without  disgust? — upon  imposture  foisted  upon 
sacred  history;  upon  imposture  falsifying  the 
most  awful  truths  of  the  gospel;  upon  imposture 
contaminating  with  unhallowed  step  the  holy  of 
holies  itself. 

The  fable  upon  which  the  first  three  degrees  of 
Masonry  is  founded  carries  absurdity  and  false- 
hood upon  its  face.     There  are  fraud  and  duplic- 


;    ON   FREEMASONRY.  255 

ity  in  the  oaths  and  obligations  into  which  the 
candidates  for  initiation  are  unwarily  drawn. 
They  are  first  made  to  invoke  upon  themselves 
the  penalties  of  death  and  brutal  mutilation  if 
they  should  reveal  the  senseless  secrets  to  be  im- 
parted to  them;  and  then  they  are  told  a  tale  of 
three  Fellowcrafts,  who,  like  them,  had  invoked 
these  penalties  upon  themselves,  and  upon  whom 
the  'penalties  had  been  executed — not  for  revealing 
the  secrets  which  they  had  been  sworn  to  keep, 
but  for  murdering  the  first  grand  master  in  the 
attempt  to  extort  one  of  the  secrets  from  him. 
Ministers  of  the  word  of  God  have  the  oaths,  in- 
voking these  penalties  upon  themselves,  adminis- 
tered to  them  gratuitously,  and  take  them  for 
nothing,  while  other  poor,  blind  candidates  are 
laid  under  tribute  for  the  privilege  of  burdening 
their  consciences  with  the  same  loads.  After 
taking  them  they  are  told  that  these  have  been 
the  standmg  penalties  for  violation  of  the  oaths  of 
secrecy  which  they  have  taken,  ever  since  they 
were  executed  upon  the  murderers  of  the  first 
grand  master.  This  first  grand  master  of  Ma- 
sonry, they  are  told,  was  Hiram  of  Tyre,  whom 
the  Holy  Scriptures  declare  to  have  been  a  work- 
man in  brass;  and  they  are  assured  that  he  was 
murdered  by  three  Tyrians,  with  Roman  names, 
three  hundred  years  before  Rome  existed. 


256  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

In  this  tortuous  and  fraudulent  process  of  ad- 
ministering the  oaths,  and  then  delivering  a  lect- 
ure upon  their  pretended  origin,  some  apology 
may  be  found  for  the  hundreds  of  Masons  in  your 
state,  and  in  others,  who  have  so  stoutly  main- 
tained in  the  face  of  their  fellow-citizens  that  they 
never  had  taken  any  oaths  incompatible  with 
their  duties  to  God  and  their  country.  To  this 
process  may  be  traced  the  utterly  groundless 
explanation  by  which  they  have  confounded 
treachery  with  martyrdom,  and  construed  the 
penalty  of  death  for  revealing  secrets  into  a  suf- 
ferance of  murder  rather  than  reveal  the  secrets. 
The  terms  of  the  oaths  are  plain,  explicit,  and  un- 
equivocal. The  promise  is  to  suffer  death  as  a 
penalty  if  the  swearer  reveals  the  secrets  of  Ma- 
sonry or  of  Masons.  And  he  is  to  suffer  the  death 
self-invoked,  as  the  Tyrian  Fellowcrafts,  with 
lloman  names,  did  suffer  death  for  violation  of 
Masonic  law.  The  Tyro-Romans  indeed  had  in- 
voked these  penalties  upon  themselves  after  com- 
mitting murder  as  well  as  a  breach  of  Masonic 
law;  and  Hiram,  the  brazier,  grand  master  of 
Masons,  had  suffered  death  rather  than  reveal  out 
of  time  and  place  the  Master's  word.  Here  is  a 
confusion  of  ideas  sufficiently  indicative  of  fraud; 
and  as  the  administration  of  the  oaths  is  always 
oral,  and  the  very  writing]or  printing  of  them  was 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  257 

among  the  promises  of  the  candidates  never  to  do, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  thousands  of  Masons 
should  have  taken  them,  not  only  without  under- 
standing what  they  were  swearing  to,  but  actually 
believing  that  their  promise  was  to  die  like  Hi- 
ram, the  victims  of  fidelity,  and  not,  like  his 
murderers,  to  pay  the  penalties  of  treachery. 

In  the  promises  themselves,  however,  there  is 
rothing  ambiguous  or  equivocal.  They  positively 
contract  the  engagement  to  sutler  the  penalties  of 
death  and  bodily  mutilation  for  any  one  violation 
of  the  oaths  which  the  candidate  pronounces. 
The  death  which  a  merciful  man  would  not  inflict 
upon  a  dog,  the  Masonic  candidate  for  light  swears 
he  will  suffer  as  a  penalty  if  he  should  pronounce 
the  words  Tubal-Cain,  Shibboleth,  or  Mah-hah- 
bone,  out  of  time  and  place.  Nay,  if,  like  the 
abbess  of  Andouillets  and  the  nun  in  Tristram 
Shandy,  they  presume  to  halve  between  them  the 
obnoxious  words,  to  preserve  the  potency  of  the 
spell,  without  infringing  the  laws  of  decorum — 
not  even  the  syllables  Ja — and  Chin,  or  Bo — and 
Az,  can  be  halved  between  two  Masons,  and  pub- 
licly pronounced  out  of  the  lodge,  but  upon  the 
penalty  of  having  both  their  throats  cut  across 
from  ear  to  ear.  And  this,  and  the  like  of  this, 
are  the  ancient  landmarks,  which  the  Grrand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States  have  earnestly 

17 


258  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

exhorted  the  chapters  and  lodges  under  their  ju- 
risdiction inflexibly  to  maintain. 

Among  the  evidences  of  the  true  spirit  and 
character  of  Freemasonry,  which  are  daily  dis- 
closing themselves  to  the  world,  is  this  fanatical 
attachment  and  devotion  to  these  ancient  land- 
marks, which  might  be  more  properly  denomi- 
nated these  incurable  vices  of  the  institution.  To 
these  vices  how  emphatically  may  be  applied  the 
remark  of  the  moral  poet,  upon  the  propensity  of 
human  nature,  to  pass  from  detestation  of  vice  first 
seen  to  the  endurance  and  thence  to  the  embrace 
of  vice  familiarized  to  the  eye!  If  any  one  leg- 
islature of  this  Union  should  enact  a  law  subject- 
ing a  citizen  of  these  states,  for  the  most  atrocious 
crime  that  the  heart  of  man  could  conceive  or  the 
arm  of  man  could  perpetrate,  to  any  one  of  the 
Masonic  penalties,  one  universal  burst  of  indigna- 
tion and  abhorrence  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
liocky  Mountains  would  redeem  the  character  of 
the  American  people  from  the  disgrace  inflicted 
upon  it  by  such  a  legislative  enactment.  I  hesi- 
tate not  to  declare  the  belief  that  not  a  jury  could 
be  assembled  in  this  Union  to  convict,  not  a  judge 
could  be  found  to  pass  sentence  upon,  a  man  sub- 
jected to  such  a  punishment  by  the  sovereign  leg- 
islatures of  the  land.  And  yet  one  of  these  pen- 
alties has  been  inflicted  on  a  free  citizen  of  this 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  259 

Union — inflicted  by  the  execution  to  the  letter,  of 
the  secret,  irresponsible,  disavowed,  and  transcen- 
dental law  of  Freemasonry.  It  has  been  executed 
by  Royal  Arch  Masons — executed  by  the  hand  of 
midnight  and  yet  unpunished  murder.  The  fact 
of  this  murder  has  been  communicated  by  one  of 
its  perpetrators  to  an  encampment  of  Knights 
Templars  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  those 
Knights  Templars,  under  the  seal  of  the  fifth  liba- 
tion, instead  of  delivering  up  the  criminal  to  the 
lawful  justice  of  their  country,  did,  in  strict  con- 
formity to  their  Masonic  obligations,  screen  him 
from  the  punishment  due  to  his  crime,  and  furnish 
him  with  the  means  of  escaping  from  that  punish- 
ment forever. 

It  is,  therefore,  gentlemen,  with  unmingled  sat- 
isfaction that  I  receive  the  assurance  from  you 
that  the  Antimasons  of  Vermont  had  determined 
to  persevere  in  the  righteous  cause  in  which  they 
have  engaged,  namely,  that  of  breaking  down 
the  ancient  landmarks  of  Freemasonry — land- 
marks which  are  the  standing  monuments  of 
usurpation  and  crime.  And  whatever  may  be  for 
years  to  come  the  fortunes  of  your  cause,  jjerse- 
verance  alone  is  the  infallible  pledge  of  your  final 
success.  We  must  not  flatter  ourselves  that  a 
moral  evil  so  deeply  rooted  and  of  such  gigantic 
dimensions  can  or  will  be  eradicated  in  a  short 


260  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

time,  or  by  intermitted  exertions.  We  see  the 
Masonic  institution,  covered  with  all  its  enormi- 
ties, upheld  by  clinging  to  both  the  great  political 
parties  which  divide  the  nation.  We  see  the 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States 
taking  into  consideration  the  condition  of  Masonry 
in  the  State  of  Vermont  and  pouring  forth  floods 
of  slander  upon  you  and  your  associates,  asserters 
of  the  supremacy  of  the  laws.  But  you  and  your 
accusers  are,  in  the  presence  of  the  American 
people,  alike  amenable  to  the  definitive  tribunal 
of  public  opinion.  That  opinion  will  ultimately 
settle  into  a  clear,  simple,  undeniable  moral  prin- 
ciple. The  code  of  "  Moloch  homicide,"  embod- 
ied in  the  laws  of  Freemasonry,  will  pass  to  its 
appropriate  region  in  Pandemonium,  and  one  of 
the  sources  of  error  and  guilt  prevailiug  in  our 
land  will  be  exhausted  and  forever  drained.  For 
my  feeble  contributions  to  effect  this  happy  con- 
summation, your  approving  voice  is  to  me  a  pre- 
cious reward.  As  a  fellow-laborer  with  you  for 
the  extinction  of  the  brutal  penalties  of  Freema- 
sonry, my  voice,  so  long  as  it  has  power  to  speak, 
shall  not  be  silent  to  an  honest  call ;  and  when  si- 
lenced, as  it  soon  must  be,  by  a  summons  to 
another  world,  my  testimony  of  abhorrence  to 
those  penalties  shall  descend  as  an  inheritance  to 
my  children  and  to  my  country. 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  261 

Accept,  gentlemen,  for  yourselves,  and  for  the 
convention  whose  resolutions  you  have  communi- 
cated to  me,  the  respect  and  the  thanks  of  your 
friend  and  fellow-citizen. 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  JAMES  MOOREHEAD,  ESQ.,  SECRETARY  OF 
THE  MEADVILLE  (PENN.)  ANTLMASONIC  CON- 
VENTION. 

Washington,  14  December,  1833. 
Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  30th  of  August  last, 
communicating  to  me  a  copy  of  the  resolution  of 
thanks  from  the  convention  held  at  Meadville  on 
the  28th  of  that  month  to  my  respected  friend 
Mr.  Rush  and  myself,  for  our  services  to  the  cause 
of  pure  morals  against  the  institution  of  Freema- 
sonry, was  received  at  my  residence  in  Massachu- 
setts at  a  time  when  I  was  absent  from  it.  Cir- 
cumstances occurred,  immediately  after  my  return, 
inducing  me  to  believe  that  there  might  be  a  pro- 
priety in  deferring  for  some  time  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  and  the  expres- 
sion of  my  grateful  sensibility  to  the  approbation 
of  the  convention  declared  by  their  resolution, 
coupled  as  it  was  with  a  cheering  exhortation  to 
perseverance  in  the  cause. 


£62  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

Believing  that  perseverance — unremitted,  uu- 
deviating  perseverance, — is  the  only  and  the  in- 
dispensable requisite  for  securing  the  final,  the 
complete,  and  most  desirable  triumph  of  the  cause 
of  Antimasonry,  I  trust  that  so  long  as  the  fac- 
ulty of  reason  and  the  sense  of  justice  shall  be 
extended  to  me  by  the  indulgence  of  my  Maker 
I  shall  be  found  neither  indifl'erent  nor  recreant 
to  the  cause.  That  cause  I  understand  to  be  the 
abolition  of  the  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties 
administered  and  taken  for  admission  to  the  gen- 
eral degrees  of  Freemasonry, — obscurely  indicated 
by  the  mandate  of  the  General  Grand  Koyal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States,  held  at  Baltimore  in 
!N"ovember,  1832,  to  the  chapters  and  lodges  under 
their  jurisdiction, — indicated  with  an  injunction 
of  adherence  to  them,  under  the  denomination  of 
the  Ancient  Landmarks  of  the  Institution. 

The  total  demolition  of  these  ancient  landmarks 
I  take  to  embrace  the  whole  cause  of  Antimason- 
ry, and  for  the  obvious  reason  that  they  are  en- 
croachments upon  the  common  rights  and  inva- 
sions of  the  common  interests  of  the  rest  of  man- 
kind; that  they  are  impious,  if  not  blasphemous 
invocations  of  the  name  of  God;  that  they  are 
fraudulent  palterings  with  a  double  sense,  saying 
one  thing  and  intending  another;  that  they  are 
brutalities  of  thought  and  language  shameful  to 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  263 

be  uttered  by  the  lips  of  Christian  men ;  and  other 
objections  to  them  of  no  trifling  consideration  to 
those  who  believe  that  the  first  inroads  of  cor- 
ruption consist  in  familiarizing  the  mind  to 
vicious  thoughts,  and  the  mouth  to  polluted 
words.  But  it  is  the  common  rights  and  common 
interests  of  mankind  that  are  invaded  by  the  an- 
cient landmarks  of  Fremasonry ;  and  it  is  the 
common  interest  of  all  that  they  should  be,  as 
public  nuisances,  abated. 

And  that  they  will  be  abated,  depends  upon 
perseverance  alone.  A.s  sure  as  the  daily  revolu- 
tion of  the  earth  shall  bring  the  source  of  light 
to  ascend  from  the  East,  so  surely  shall  persever- 
ance sweep  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  common 
nuisances,  the  ancient  landmarks  of  Freemasonry. 
Nor  is  it  necessary,  to  this  result,  that  what  is 
commonly  called  political  Autimasonry  should  be 
always  or  is  even  generally  successful.  Political 
Antimasonry  is  but  one  of  the  modes,  though 
hitherto  undoubtedly  the  most  eflicacious  one,  of 
combatting  the  Masonic  institution.  It  is  one  of 
the  exceptions  to  this  mode  of  operation,  that  it 
necessarily  manifests  itself  in  the  form  of  opposi- 
tion to  persons,  and  in  the  shape  of  punishment. 
It  enlists,  therefore,  against  itself  not  only  the 
whole  body  of  Masonic  influence,  but  all  the 
sympathies  of  friendship  and  all  the  weight  of 


264  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

individual  character  and  meritorious  service.  Its 
success  then  must  and  will  be  variable — fluctuat- 
ing w^ith  the  vicissitudes  of  transient  popular 
opinion,  and  susceptible  sometimes  by  its  failure 
of  retarding,  as  at  others  by  success  it  may  ad- 
vance, the  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished. 
But  I  trust  it  may  be  considered  by  Antimasons 
as  only  one  of  their  weapons  against  the  common 
enemy — used  with  reluctance,  and  to  be  laid  aside 
whenever  Masonry  herself  shall  be  banished  from 
the  polls. 

At  the  same  time  I  fervently  hope  that  the  An- 
timasons of  the  free  states  of  this  Union  will  not 
be  satisfied  with  the  mere  cessation  of  the  meet- 
ings of  lodges,  chapters,  and  encampments,  nor 
become  indifferent  to  the  cause,  even  when  justice 
shall  require  of  them  to  discard  the  question  from 
the  field  of  election.  There  is  no  question  but 
that  the  Masonic  oaths  are  all  unlawful.  But  as 
in  most  of  the  states  there  is  no  specific  penalty 
annexed  to  the  administration  of  extrajudicial 
oaths,  the  law  itself  is  outraged  by  it  with  im- 
punity. In  the  states  of  Rhode  Island  and  Ver- 
mont, statutes  have  recently  been  enacted  annex- 
ing adequate  penalties  to  the  administration  of 
extrajudicial  oaths ;  so  that  in  those  states  Mason- 
ry will  no  longer  have  the  subterfuge  to  plead 
that  her  oaths  are   not  unlawful,  because  they  are 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  265 

null  and  void.  If  I  am  to  credit  the  newspapers 
there  has  been  a  decision  amounting  to  this,  even 
by  magistrates  upon  the  bench  in  your  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  Those  magistrates,  it  is  stated, 
were,  all  but  one,  themselves  Masons ;  and  if  I 
understand  the  written  opinion,  reported  as  hav- 
ing been  given  by  them,  it  was  that  without 
deciding  whether  the  Masonic  oaths  were  not 
lawful  they  held  them  to  be  voluntary  promises, 
which  could  have  no  operation  contrary  to  law, 
and  therefore  that  a  man  who  had  taken  those 
oaths  was  quite  competent  to  be  an  impartial  juror 
between  Mason  and  Antimason.  Now,  although 
there  is  much  ingenuity  in  this  argument,  and  in 
the  conclusion  drawn  from  it,  there  is  another 
conclusion  to  which  it  may  lead  other  minds  unil- 
luminated  with  the  floods  of  light  which  pour 
upon  the  pilgrim  of  the  lodge-room.  If  there 
were  specific  penalties  annexed  to  the  administra- 
tion of  all  extrajudicial  oaths.  Masonic  judges 
would  be  relieved  from  all  judicial  non-committal, 
whether  the  Masonic  oaths  are  lawful  or  not,  and 
it  would  require  one  step  further  of  Masonic  co- 
operation on  the  bench  to  decide  that  a  man  bound 
by  unlawful  oaths,  exclusively  to  favor  one  of  the 
parties  to  a  suit  of  law,  is  a  very  impartial  juror 
between  those  parties,  because  the  oaths  he  has 
taken,  exclusively  to  favor  one  of  them,  are  un^ 
lawful. 


266  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

Sir,  I  wish  the  members  of  the  convention  who 
did  me  the  honor  to  pass  the  resolution  which  you 
have  communicated  to  me,  to  accept  my  thanks, 
and  a  hearty  reciprocation  with  them  of  the  Anti- 
masonic  pass-word,  "  Persevere.''  It  is  the  uncon- 
querable spirit  of  all  energetic  virtue — the  im- 
pregnable fortress  founded  upon  the  Rock  of 
Ages. 

I  am,  with  great  respect, 

Your  friend  and  fellow-citizen, 
John  Quincy  Adams. 


TO  R.  W.  MIDDLETON,  GETTYSBURG,  PA. 

Quincy,  27  October,  1835 
Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  your  letter  of  the 
19th  instant,  with  the  Star  and  Republican  Banner 
of  the  same  date.  Amid  the  vicissitudes  of  al- 
ternate success  and  defeat,  which  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner  have  attended  the  cause  of 
political  Antimasonry,  I  have  witnessed  with 
warm  feelings  of  sympathy  and  admiration  the 
perseverance  with  which  it  has  been  pursued  in 
Pennsylvania,  through  good  and  evil  fortune,  to 
its  signal  triumph  at  this  time,  in  the  election  of 
Mr.  E,itner  as  governor  of  the   commonwealth, 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  267 

aud  if  I  am  to  credit  the  public  journals,  of  a 
decided  majority  of  avowed  Antimasous  to  the 
legislature. 

Hitherto  the  Antimasons  of  Pennsylvania; 
though  armed  with  a  principle  as  pure  as  any 
that  ever  animated  the  heart  of  man, — though 
struggling  against  an  institution  foul  with  mid- 
night murder,  perpetrated  in  strict  conformity  to 
soul-ensnaring  oaths  and  obligations,  have  yet 
been  a  feeble  and  persecuted  minority, — perse- 
cuted for  uttering  the  cry  of  indignation  at  a 
series  of  atrocious  violations  of  the  laws  of  God 
and  man — persecuted  for  summoning  the  energies 
of  virtue  in  the  hearts  of  their  fellow-citizens,  to 
extinguish  a  secret  and  lawless  conspiracy  in  the 
heart  of  the  community  against  the  equal  rights 
of  their  fellow-men. 

I  trust  the  days  of  this  persecution  are  past  in 
Pennsylvania;  that  the  government  of  that  com- 
monwealth, by  the  will  of  a  decisive  majority  of 
its  people,  will  be  in  the  hands  of  Antimasons, 
and  that  by  the  wisdom  and  moderation  of  their 
measures  they  will  redeem  the  state  from  the 
pollution  of  Masonic  morals,  and  restore  iu 
triumph  the  supremacy  of  the  laws. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  dear  sir. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

John  Quincy  Adams. 


/C' 


Address  to  the  People  of  Massachusetts. 


In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1833  Mr.  Adams  was  unan- 
imously nominated  at  a  large  convention  of  members  of  the 
Antimasonic  party,  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  governor  of 
Massachusetts.  The  call  thus  made  upon  him  he  did  not 
feel  at  liberty  to  decline.  The  result  was  a  triangular  con- 
test at  the  election,  between  the  three  political  parties  into 
which  the  people  were  divided,  and  the  failure  of  a  choice 
of  governor  by  the  requisite  majority.  According  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  constitution  of  Massachusetts  the  election  then 
devolved  upon  the  legislature  about  to  meet  in  January, 
1834,  But  no  sooner  was  Mr.  Adams  made  aware  of  the 
state  of  the  popular  vote,  than  he  determined  to  decline  to 
be  further  considered  a  candidate  for  the  post.  The  reasons 
for  his  course,  as  well  in  accepting  at  first  as  in  withdrawing 
afterward,  he  decided  to  submit  in  an  address  to  the  people 
of  the  commonwealth,  which  he  caused  to  be  published  at 
the  same  time  that  he  notified  his  decision  in  a  letter  direct- 
ed to  the  speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  at  the 
opening  of  the  session.     The  following  is  the  address : 

TO    THE    PEOPLE    OF   THE   COMMONWEALTH   OF 
MASSACHUSETTS. 

Fellow-citizens: — For  the  first  time  within  near- 
ly half  a  century  you  have  been  so  far  unable  to 
agree  upon  the  person  to  whom  the  office  of  serv- 
269 


270  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

ing  you  in  the  capacity  of  your  chief-magistrate 
should  be  committed  for  the  ensuing  year,  that 
no  one  of  the  candidates  presented  by  previous 
nominations  to  your  favor  has  obtained  a  majority 
of  your  suffrages,  and  the  case  has  occurred,  in 
which,  by  the  provisions  of  the  constitution,  your 
House  of  Representatives  will  be  called  to  present 
to  your  Senate  two  of  the  four  citizens,  having 
the  highest  number  of  your  votes,  and  of  these 
two  the  Senate  will  be  charged  with  selecting  one 
as  the  governor  of  the  state. 

Of  the  four  candidates  having  the  highest  num- 
ber of  votes  my  name  stands  the  second;  and  sup- 
posing it  from  that  circumstance  probable  that  it 
might  be  one  of  the  two  offered  by  the  House  of 
Representatives  for  the  choice  of  the  Senate,  I 
deemed  it  my  duty  to  withdraw  from  the  canvass, 
and  to  request  the  members  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  to  withhold  their  votes  from  me, 
with  the  assurance  of  my  determination,  founded 
on  the  sense  of  my  own  duties,  not  to  accept  the 
appointment  should  it  be  conferred  upon  me. 

I  have  not  thought  it  necessary  or  proper  to 
assign  to  the  legislature  the  reasons  which  have 
brought  me  to  this  determination.  For  the  exer- 
cise of  their  functions  it  was  only  necessary  that 
they  should  know  the  fact,  and  it  would  have 
been  an  unwarrantable  consumption  of  their  time, 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  271 

which  is  your  property,  to  lay  before  them  an  ex- 
position of  motives,  upon  the  correctness  of  which 
it  would  not  be  their  province  to  decide,  and 
which  would  neither  require  nor  admit  of  any 
deliberative  action  appropriate  to  them. 

This  exposition  of  motives  is,  however,  pecul- 
iarly due  to  that  portion  of  my  fellow-citizens 
who  honored  me  by  their  nomination,  and  whose 
nomination  I  accepted.  It  is  also  due  to  you  all — 
all  having  an  interest  in  the  issue  of  the  election, 
and  all  being  entitled  to  know ;  wherefore  I  have 
felt  it  justifiable  to  interpose  between  the  provis- 
ion of  the  constitution  prescribed  for  the  contin- 
gency which  has  occurred,  and  its  absolute  exe- 
cution. 

In  accepting  the  nomination  of  the  Antimasonic 
Convention  at  Boston,  I  was  aware  of  the  dissen- 
sions which  agitated  the  commonwealth,  and 
whicb  I  had  witnessed  with  deep  concern.  I 
knew  that  the  Antimasons  as  a  party  constituted 
a  minority  of  the  people  of  the  commonwealth; 
that  they  were  for  the  most  part  a  detachment 
from  that  portion  of  the  people  who  in  recent 
times  had  been  denominated  National  Republi- 
cans, and  who  under  that  denomination  had  em- 
braced at  least  three  fourths  of  the  people  of  the 
state ;  that  their  views  of  general  policy,  both 
with  regard  to  the  administration  of  the  general 


272  LETTERS   AND   OPINIUNS 

government  and  to  that  of  the  commonwealth, 
still  coincided  with  those  of  that  party ;  and  I  be- 
lieved it  an  object  of  the  highest  importance  to 
your  welfare,  and  most  especially  with  reference 
to  your  interest  and  influence  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Union,  that  this  breach  should  be  repaired,  and 
this  discord  restored  to  harmony.  The  Masonic 
controversy  was  the  only  point  upon  which  the 
two  divisions  of  the  party  were  separated ;  but 
that  separation  I  feared  was  irreconcilable.  The 
party  in  opposition  to  the  state  government,  and 
friendly  to  the  present  federal  administration,  was 
necessarily  Masonic,  by  adherence  to  their  chief, 
himself  illustrious  with  Masonic  acquirements 
and  dignities.  The  ISTational  Republicans  were 
Masonic,  by  the  declared  adherence  of  their  chief 
to  the  same  institution  of  which  he  was  a  distin- 
guished member,  and  indications  were  not  want- 
ing that  all  the  differences  of  principle  between 
those  two  parties,  ardent  and  bitter  as  they  were, 
would  be  swallowed  up  in  the  transcendent  com- 
mon interest  of  Freemasonry.  So  it  had  emphat- 
ically proved  in  the  State  of  Vermont,  and  such 
was,  in  my  apprehension,  likely  to  be  the  issue  in 
Massachusetts.  It  was  with  extreme  reluctance 
that  I  consented  to  be  placed  within  the  wind  of 
this  commotion,  for  I  saw  that  it  would  bring  me 
in  collision  with  the  party  then  still  wielding  the 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  273 

power  of  the  state,  and  with  whose  general  prin- 
ciples and  policy  my  own  were  in  full  accord. 

I  had  recently  been  re-elected,  by  the  co-opera- 
tion of  that  party,  in  the  congressional  district 
where  I  resided,  to  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States.  1  had  previously 
been  nominated  by  a  convention  of  the  members 
of  that  party,  as  well  as  by  an  Anti masonic,  and 
also  a  Republican  convention,  to  represent  the 
district  of  Plymouth  in  the  last  congress.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  term  of  service  I  was  again 
nominated  by  an  Antimasonic,  and  also  by  a 
ISTatioual  Republican  convention,  to  represent  the 
district  as  newly  constituted  in  the  congress  now 
assembled.  Those  nominations  were  both  accom- 
panied with  resolutions  approving,  in  the  strong- 
est and  most  gratifying  terms,  the  manner  in 
which  I  had  executed  the  trust  of  representing 
Plymouth  District;  and  although  the  district,  as 
newly  organized,  was  but  partly  the  same  with 
that  which  I  had  before  represented,  I  was  re- 
elected by  a  majority  equally  decisive  with  that 
of  my  previous  election. 

I  had  freely  avowed  my  opinions  of  Masonry 
and  Antimasonry,  when  the  people  of  the  district 
selected  me  to  represent  them  in  Congress.  They 
were  not  the  opinions  of  a  majority  of  the  people 
whom  I  was  to  represent,  and  they  were  sustained 

18 


274  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

by  a  very  small  though  highly  respectable  minor- 
ity of  the  people  of  the  commonwealth.  They 
were  iinpopular  opinions,  and  therefore  not  the 
ground  to  be  occupied  by  persons  aspiring  to 
popularity,  or  to  its  rewards. 

The  legislator  of  the  most  illustrious  democracy 
of  ancient  times,  Solon,  made  it  a  crime,  punisha- 
ble with  death,  for  any  citizen  to  shrink  from  tak- 
ing his  side  upon  any  great  political  question 
which  agitated  and  divided  the  people.  Without 
approving  the  severity  of  this  law,  I  consider  the 
principle  of  its  obligation  as  the  vital  spirit  of 
republicanism.  Republican  government  is  essen- 
tially the  government  of  public  opinion,  and  it  is 
good  or  bad  government  in  proportion  as  public 
opinion  is  right  or  wrong.  Public  opinion  is  the 
aggregate  of  individual  opinions,  and  the  consti- 
tution, which  secures  to  the  citizen  the  right  of 
voting,  makes  it  his  duty  to  form  opinions  by 
which  the  exercise  of  that  right  shall  be  governed. 
Every  vote  is  an  opinion  manifested  by  free  action, 
and  whoever  votes  contrary  to  his  opinion,  or 
shrinks  from  the  avowal  of  the  opinion  upon 
which  he  votes,  is  actuated  by  no  republican 
spirit.  In  forming  his  political  opinions  every 
citizen  must  be  governed  by  his  own  honest  judg- 
ment, enlightened  by  consultation  with  others, 
and  by  such  measures  of  information  as  he  can 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  275 

obtain.  But  as  this  measure  of  information  must 
necessarily  be  possessed  by  different  persons  in 
different  degrees,  the  opinions  of  every  individual 
must,  in  great  multitudes  of  cases,  be  influenced 
by  his  confidence  in  others.  To  obtain  the  infor- 
mation necessary  for  forming  a  correct  opinion  up- 
on political  questions  is  a  duty  specially  incumbent 
upon  those  who  possess  in  any  degree  the  jpuhlic 
confidence ;  and  having  been  one  of  those  honored 
with  the  confidence  of  a  large  portion  of  my  fel- 
low-citizens, I  have  thought  it  my  indispensable 
duty  to  make  mj'self  acquainted  with  the  facts 
and  the  principles  involved  in  the  controversy  re- 
latinof  to  the  Masonic  institution. 

The  authentication  of  the  facts,  and  the  devel- 
opment of  principles  resulting  from  them,  was 
necessarily  slow  and  gradual.  The  struggle  be- 
tween the  common  rights  of  the  people  and  the 
exclusive  privileges  of  an  oath-bound  association, 
organized  for  extensive  secretly  concerted  action, 
has  been  long  protracted,  and  there  is  no  present 
prospect  of  its  termination.  The  kidnapping  and 
murder  of  William  Morgan,  for  merely  avowing 
the  intention  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  Freemasonry, 
was  the  first  act  which  roused  the  attention  of  the 
people  to  the  nature  and  character  of  this  institu- 
tion. In  the  transaction  of  that  tragedy  nine  or 
ten  of  the  most  atrocious  crimes  that  can  be  com- 


276  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

mitted  by  men  were  perpetrated  by  deeds  to 
wbicb  several  hundreds  of  men  were  accessory; 
men  not  of  the  class  of  criminals  instigated  to 
guilt  by  poverty,  ignorance,  or  ferocious  individ- 
ual passions,  but  men  in  the  educated  and  influen- 
tial conditions  of  life,  many  of  them  men  in  all 
their  other  relations  to  society  of  exemplary  lives 
and  conversation. 

At  the  time  of  the  murder  of  Morgan  I  was 
exercising  the  ofiice  of  president  of  the  United 
States.  Keither  the  penalties  of  Freemasonry 
nor'  the  practical  execution  of  them,  by  the  Ma- 
sons who  murdered  him,  were  known  to  the  pub- 
lic in  general,  nor  to  me.  Freemasonry  exercised 
an  absolute  control  over  all  the  public  journals 
edited  by  members  of  the  institution,  and  over 
many  others  by  terror  and  intimidation.  Months 
and  years  elapsed  before  the  murder  itself  was  fully 
proved — nor  has  it  been  judicially  proved  to  this 
day.  The  names  indeed  of  the  men  who  took 
him  from  his  dungeon  on  the  19th  of  September, 
1826,  and  closed  a  torture  of  nine  days'  duration 
by  sinking  him  in  the  middle  of  JSTiagara  River, 
are  perfectly  well  known.  It  is  known  that  one 
of  them  waSj  according  to  Masonic  law,  upon 
avowal  of  his  crime  under  the  seal  of  the  fifth 
libation,  and  under  hot  pursuit  by  the  officers  of 
justice,  furnished,  by  an  encampment  of  Knights 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  277 

Templars  in  the  city  of  Xew  York,  with  the 
means  of  escaping  from  this  countr3^  Bat  the 
witnesses  to  all  these  transactions  are  Freemasons, 
and,  as  accessories  to  the  crimes  of  which  they 
are  cognizant,  refuse  or  evade  giving  judicial  tes- 
timony on  the  express  ground  that  they  might 
thereby  criminate  themselves.  There  are  clouds 
of  witnesses,  but  they  are  participators  in  the 
guilt;  and  thus  it  is  that  Masonry  protects  itself 
from  the  judicial  authentication  of  its  crimes  by 
the  very  multitude  of  its  accomplices,  all  bound 
by  the  invisible  chains  of  secrecy. 

But  the  trials  of  the  Masonic  outrasres  in  the 
State  of  New  York  have  exhibited  other  exposi- 
tions of  Masonic  law.  Masonic  juries  have  been 
packed  by  Masonic  sheriffs,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose not  only  of  screening  the  guilty  from  punish- 
ment, but  of  falsifying  the  facts  by  presentments 
and  verdicts  known  to  themselves  to  be  untrue. 
Masonic  witnesses  have  refused  to  testify,  and  suf- 
fered imprisonment  rather  than  disclose  the  facts 
known  to  them,  even  when  they  did  not  criminate 
themselves.  N"or  is  this  all.  "When  conscience, 
bursting  the  bands  of  Masonry,  has  constrained 
Masonic  witnesses  to  testify  to  crimes  in  which 
they  themselves  shared,  and  to  the  secrets  of  the 
craft,  solitary  Masonic  jurors  have  refused  their 
assent  to  verdicts,  upon  which  all  their  fellows 


278  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

were  agreed,  on  the  avowed  resolution  that  they 
would  not  believe  any  testimony  of  a  seceding 
Mason. 

The  extent  to  which  the  public  justice  of  the 
country  had  been  baffled,  and  the  morals  of  the 
people  vitiated  by  Freemasonry,  was  therefore 
disclosed  to  me  gradually,  and  by  a  slow  process 
of  time.  Absorbed  by  other  cares,  and  with  time 
engrossed  by  the  discharge  of  other  duties,  I  was 
for  years  very  imperfectly  informed  either  of  the 
laws  of  Masonry,  or  of  the  ascendancy  they  were 
maintaining  over  the  laws  of  the  land,  or  of  the 
deep  depravity  with  which  they  were  cankering 
the  morals  of  the  people.  Morgan's  book  was 
not  published  till  some  months  after  his  death ; 
and  when  published,  the  Masonic  presses  long 
labored  in  their  double  vocation  of  suppressing 
truth  and  propagating  falsehood,  by  representing 
the  disclosures  of  that  book  as  false.  Yet  Mor- 
gan had  revealed  the  secrets  only  of  the  first  de- 
grees, and  the  deepest  of  Masonic  abominations 
were  yet  screened  from  the  public  eye.  It  was 
not  until  the  fourth  of  July,  1828,  that  the  con- 
vention of  seceding  Masons,  held  at  Le  Roy,  made 
public  the  secrets,  oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties 
of  the  higher  degrees.  Nor  were  the  proceedings 
ot  that  convention  made  known  to  me  till  I  found 
them  in  David  Bernard's  Light  on  Masonry. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  279 

To  that  book  and  its  author  permit  me,  m\' 
tellow-citizeus,  while  recommending  it  to  your 
perusal  and  meditation,  to  ofter  the  tribute  of  un- 
feigned respect — a  tribute  the  more  richly  deserved 
for  the  slanders  Avhich  Masonic  benevolence  and 
charity  have  showered  upon  them.  Elder  David 
Bernard  was  a  minister  of  the  Genesee  Baptist 
Association  in  the  State  of  New  York.  He  was 
a  man  of  good  repute,  and  of  blameless  life  and 
conversation.  Like  many  others,  he  was  ensnared 
into  the  taking  of  fifteen  degrees  of  Masonry,  and 
was  the  intimate  secretar}'  of  the  Lodge  of  Per- 
fection. He  was  one  of  the  first  seceders  from  the 
order,  and  from  that  time  underwent  every  possi- 
ble persecution  from  Masons,  and  the  frequent 
danger  of  his  life.  Among  the  most  interesting 
documents  demonstrating  the  true  spirit  of  Ma- 
sonry, which  have  appeared  in  the  course  of  this 
controversy,  is  the  plain  and  unaffected  narrative 
of  the  treatment  which  he  received,  and  of  the 
scenes  which  he  witnessed  at  the  meetings  of 
lodges  and  chapters,  before  the  murder  of  Morgan 
as  well  as  after,  from  the  time  when  it  was  project- 
ed in  them.  That  it  was  so  projected  is  establish- 
ed by  his  testimony,  confirmatory  of  numerous 
other  demonstrated  facts. 

To  David  Bernard,  perhaps  more  than  to  any 
other  man,  the  world  is  indebted  for  the  revela- 


280  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

tion  of  the  most  execrable  mysteries  of  Masonry , 
nor  could  he,  as  a  minister  of  the  word  of  God, 
have  performed  a  service  to  his  country  and  his 
fellow-christians  more  suitable  to  his  sacred  func- 
tions. It  was  principally  by  his  exertions  that 
the  Le  Roy  convention  of  seceding  Masons  as- 
sembled and  published  the  oaths,  obligations,  and 
penalties  of  the  higher  degrees  of  the  order. 

From  the  time  of  that  publication  the  whole 
system  of  the  Masonic  laws  and  their  practical 
operation,  having  relation  to  the  disclosure  of 
their  secrets,  have  been  gradually  unfolding  them- 
selves, and  the  law  and  its  execution  have  been 
continual  commentaries  upon  each  other.  When 
the  murder  of  Morgan  was  first  perpetrated  the 
instances  were  frequent  of  its  being  openly  justi- 
fied by  members  of  the  institution,  as  being  but 
the  execution  of  a  'penalty  to  which  he  himself 
had  assented — as  it  certainly  was.  Another  class 
of  Masons,  somewhat  less  resolute,  contented 
themselves  with  maintaining  that  he  was  a  per- 
jured wretch  for  violating  his  oaths,  and  if  he  had 
been  put  to  death,  had  only  suffered  what  he  de- 
served. A  third  class  sturdily  denied  the  facts 
even  after  everything  but  the  last  act  of  murder 
had  been  proved  in  regular  judicial  trials;  and  a 
fourth,  intrenching  themselves  in  ignorance,  which 
they  took   care   always  to  preserve    by   turning 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  281 

away  their  eyes  from  all  evidence  of  the  facts, 
rested  their  defense  from  the  charge  of  Morgan's 
murder  by  professing  that  they  knew  nothing 
about  it. 

From  the  time  when  I  first  perused  Elder  Ber- 
nard's book,  I  became  convinced  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  discharge  my  duties  as  a  citi- 
zen to  ray  country  by  knowing  nothing  about  it. 
By  a  constant  comparison  of  the  laws  of  Masonry 
with  their  practical  execution,  from  the  robbery 
of  Morgan's  manuscripts  and  the  abortive  at- 
tempt to  burn  Miller's  house,  to  the  escape  of 
Richard  Howard  from  justice  and  from  this 
country,  a  great  multitude  of  facts  combined  to 
demonstrate  the  pervading  efiicacy  of  all  the  Ma- 
sonic obligations.  Measures  always  enfeebled  and 
thwarted  by  Masonic  influence  were  taken  by  the 
legislature  and  executive  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  to  detect  and  bring  the  offenders  to  justice. 
The  trials  of  the  criminals  were  in  progress;  I 
endeavored  to  obtain  information  of  their  course 
and  termination.  The  letters  of  Col.  Stone  upon 
Masonry  and  Antimasonry  were  addressed  to  me 
in  consequence  of  inquiries  made  by  me,  to  an- 
other person,  and  communicated  to  him.  With 
regard  to  the  facts  ascertained  by  those  trials,  the 
reports  made  to  the  legislature  of  New  York,  and 
the  proceedings  of  the  first  Antimasonic  conven- 


282  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

tioa,  held,  at  Philadelphia,  with  the  essays  ot 
William  Slade  upon  the  Masonic  penalties,  and 
the  defense  of  Masonry  hy  the  grand  lodge  of 
Rhode  Island,  all  concurred  in  furnishing  a  mass 
of  information  from  which  my  conclusions  were 
deduced. 

I  saw  a  code  of  Masonic  legislation  adapted  to 
prostrate  every  principle  of  equal  justice,  and  to 
corrupt  every  sentiment  of  virtuous  feeling  in  tlie 
soul  of  him  who  bound  his  allegiance  to  it.  I  saw 
the  practice  of  common  honesty,  the  kindness  of 
Christian  benevolence,  even  the  abstinence  from 
atrocious  crimes,  limited  exclusively  by  lawless 
oaths  and  barbarous  penalties  to  the  social  rela- 
tions between  the  brotherhood  of  the  craft.  I  saw 
slander  organized  into  a  secret,  wide-spread,  and 
affiliated  agency,  fixing  its  invisible  fangs  into  the 
hearts  of  its  victims,  sheltered  by  the  darkness  of 
the  lodge-room  and  armed  with  the  never-ceasing 
penalties  of  death.  I  saw  self-invoked  impreca- 
tions of  throats  cut  from  ear  to  ear,  of  heart  and 
vitals  torn  out  and  cast  forth  to  the  wolves  and 
vultures,  of  skulls  smitten  off  and  hung  on  spires. 
I  saw  wine  drank  from  a  human  skull,  with  sol- 
emn invocation  of  all  the  sins  of  its  owner  upon 
the  head  of  him  who  drinks  from  it;  and  I  saw  a 
wretched  mortal  man  dooming  himself  to  external 
punishment  (when  the  last  trump  shall  sound)  as 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  283 

a  guaranty  for  idle  and  ridiculous  promises. 
Such  are  the  laws  of  Masonry ;  such  their  indeli- 
ble character — and  with  that  character  perfectly 
corresponded  the  history  of  the  abduction  and 
murder  of  Morgan,  and  the  history  of  Masonic 
lodges,  chapters,  and  encampments,  from  that  day 
to  the  present. 

To  this  general  assertion  numerous  exceptions 
must  be  made,  not  only  of  individual  Masons  but 
of  whole  lodges  and  chapters, — I  wish  I  could  say 
of  encampments,  which  have  surrendered  their 
Masonic  charters,  or  silently  dissolved  themselves. 
Other  lodges  and  chapters  have  ceased  to  hold 
their  meetings,  and  I  have  heard  of  yet  others, 
which,  still  holding  their  meetings,  have  ceased 
to  administer  any  of  the  oaths.  Besides  these 
there  are  numbers  of  individual  Masons  who  have 
silently  seceded  and  withdrawn  from  that  institu- 
tion without  renouncing  it.  It  is  probable  that 
these  exceptions  include  one  third  of  all  the  Ma- 
sons in  the  free  states  of  this  Union ;  and  to  them 
no  observation  of  censure  which  I  have  made 
upon  Masonry  or  upon  Masons  can  apply.  Their 
bearing  is  only  upon  adhering  Masons  and  Ma- 
sonry. 

But  of  that  censure  the  grand  encampment,  the 
grand  chapter,  and  grand  lodge  of  i!^ew  York 
must  take  their  full  share.     Their  opinion  of  the 


284  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

laws  ot  Masonry,  and  of  their  true  exposition,  is 
the  same  as  mine.  They  have  proved  it  by  their 
deeds.  They  knew  that  the  kidnappers  and 
assassins  of  Morgan,  the  robbers  of  his  manu- 
scripts, the  slanderers  who  falsely  charged  him 
with  larceny  to  seize  upon  his  person  and  accom- 
plish his  destruction,  the  incendiaries  of  the  house 
of  Miller;  that  the  sheriffs  who  packed  Masonic 
juries,  the  juries  who  falsified  their  verdicts,  the 
witnesses  who  refused  to  testify,  or  deliberately 
testified  to  falsehood;  they  knew  that  all  these 
had  but  acted  in  strict  conformity  and  faithful 
obedience  to  the  letter  and  the  spirit  of  the  Ma- 
sonic laws.  So  well  did  they  know  it,  that  far 
from  expelling  any  one  of  these  criminals  from 
the  fraternity  they  have  hailed  and  recognized 
them  as  worthy  brothers  of  the  craft,  have  cheered 
them  with  consolation  in  their  sufferings,  indem- 
nified them  with  monej^  for  their  imprisonment, 
and  spirited  away  one  at  least  of  the  ruffians, 
whose  hands  were  reeking  with  the  blood  of  mur- 
der, from  the  public  justice  of  their  country. 

All  this,  fellow-citizens,  have  I  seen,  through  a 
succession  of  time,  now  extending  to  more  than 
seven  years.  To  inform  myself  of  the  facts  1 
deemed  a  duty  of  paramount  obligation  upon  me, 
as  a  man,  a  citizen,  and  a  Christian ;  especially 
after  my  release  from  the  arduous  duties  of  public 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  285 

office.  Had  I  been  actuated  by  no  other  motives 
than  sympathy  with  the  feelings  of  my  own  imme- 
diate neighborhood  and  friends,  I  trust  they 
would  have  needed  no  apology.  It  happened  tha^ 
the  attention  of  the  inhabitants  of  my  native 
town  of  Quincy  had  been  drawn  to  the  facts  of 
the  Morgan  tragedy  and  of  the  laws  of  Masonry, 
years  before  I  came  to  reside  among  them.  There 
is  a  Masonic  lodge  in  that  town,  and  many  of  its 
members  are  among  the  worthiest  and  most  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  place.  Several  of  them 
are  my  personal  friends  and  kinsmen.  When  the 
Masonic  controversy  first  made  its  way  into  this 
commonwealth  the  people  of  that  town  were 
among  the  first  who  became  acquainted  with  the 
Masonic  laws  as  they  were  divulged,  and  with  the 
Masonic  crimes  in  New  York,  their  natural  prog- 
eny. A  large  majority  of  them  became  Antima- 
sons,  and  so  I  found  them  upon  my  return  among 
them.  The  spirit  of  Antimasonry  had  already 
pervaded  the  counties  of  Norfolk,  Plymouth,  and 
Bristol;  and  the  secession  of  the  Rev.  Moses 
Thacher,  and  the  controversies,  ecclesiastical  and 
political,  in  which  that  step  had  involved  him, 
occasioned  much  agitation  among  this  portion 
of  the  people  in  the  commonwealth. 

In   these   dissensions   I  took  no   part ;  but   I 
should  have  been  insensible  to  all  my  duties  had 


286  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

I  closed  my  eyes  to  facts  or  turned  my  ear  from 
argument,  and  smothered  the  sense  of  justice  in 
my  soul,  for  the  privilege  of  blinking  the  public 
question  which  was  convulsing  the  neighborhood 
in  which  I  lived,  by  professing  to  know  nothing 
about  it. 

Yet  I  did  not  intrude  myself  as  a  volunteer  in 
the  controversy.  It  had  been  erroneously  stated 
in  a  newspaper,  edited  by  a  high  Masonic  digni- 
tary in  Boston,  that  I  was  a  Mason.  In  answer 
to  an  inquiry  from  a  person  in  New  York,  whether 
I  was  so,  I  had  declared  that  I  was  not,  and  never 
should  he.  This  letter,  without  my  knowledge  or 
consent,  crept  into  the  public  prints;  and  from 
that  day  the  revenge  of  Masonic  charity,  from 
Maine  to  Louisiana  (I  speak  to  the  letter),  marked 
me  for  its  own.  At  the  critical  moment  of  the 
presidential  election,  in  the  counties  of  l^ew  York 
where  Antimasonry  was  most  prevailing,  a  hand- 
bill was  profusely  circulated,  with  a  deposition 
upon  oath,  attested  by  a  Masonic  magistrate,  of 
an  individual,  real  or  fictitious,  swearing  that  he 
had  been  present  at  two  difierent  times  (the  dates 
of  which  were  specified)  with  me  at  meetings  of 
a  masonic  lodge  at  Pittsfield — a  town  in  which  I 
had  never  entered  a  house  in  my  life. 

This  was  the  first  punishment  inflicted  upon  me 
by  Masonic  law,  for  declaring  that  I  should  never 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  287 

Le  a  Mason.  The  influence  of  Masonry  upon  that 
presidential  election  was  otherwise  exerted  with 
considerable  effect;  and  of  the  raore  recent  elec- 
tion it  decided,  perhaps,  the  fate.  I  never  noticed 
either  the  false  annunciation  in  the  Boston  Senti- 
nel that  I  was  a  Mason,  or  the  oath  of  the  worthy 
brother  of  the  square  and  compass  that  he  had 
twice  met  me  at  the  lodge  in  Pittsfield.  They 
were  both  calumnies,  as  strictly  conformable  to 
Masonic  laws  as  to  Masonic  benevolence,  and 
have  been  followed,  up  by  slanders  coined  at  the 
same  mint  and  circulated  through  all  the  frater- 
nizing presses  of  the  land. 

I  have  stated  to  you,  fellow-citizens,  the  reasons 
and  motives  which  have  actuated  me  in  the  part 
I  have  taken  in  the  Masonic  and  Antimasonic 
controversy.  To  obtain  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  facts,  and  of  the  real  laws  of  Freemasonry, 
and  to  bring  them  to  the  test  of  pure  moral  prin- 
ciples, I  believed  to  be  my  indispensable  duty;  and 
having  done  that,  it  was  no  less  my  duty  to  bear 
my  testimony  on  every  suitable  occasion  both  to 
facts  and  principles. 

Col.  Stone's  letters  contained  an  exposition  of 
Masonic  law,  from  a  Knight  Templar  who  had 
withdrawn  but  not  seceded  from  the  order ;  an 
exposition  as  favorable  as  the  hand  of  a  friend 
could  make  it,  consistently  with   the  candor  of 


288  LETTERS  AND   OPINIONS 

truth.  It  was  palliative,  excusatory,  apologetical, 
for  Masonry  in  its  fairest  colors;  and  it  first  put 
forth  the  avowal  that  the  Masonic  obligations 
were  not  among  the  secrets  of  Masonry.  This 
was  a  point  upon  which  the  most  eminent  digni- 
taries of  the  craft  diflered  among  themselves  ;  but 
in  the  meantime  the  obligations  were  kept  secret. 
They  never  had  been  divulged  till  the  publication 
of  Morgan's  book  since  forgotten  revelations  of 
Jachin  and  Boaz,  the  author  of  which  is  under- 
stood to  have  suifered  the  same  fate  as  Morgan. 

Col.  Stone  gave  the  original  oath,  obligation, 
and  penalty,  the  only  one  taken  at  and  long  after 
the  primitive  institution  of  the  order.  He  also 
referred  in  his  book  to  a  manuscript  of  the  oaths, 
obligations,  and  penalties  of  the  first  seven  de- 
grees, including  the  Royal  Arch,  as  they  have 
generally  been  administered  in  the  lodges  and 
chapters  of  New  England ;  and  he  afterward,  at 
my  request,  transmitted  to  me  the  manuscript, 
which  is  now  in  my  possession.  It  is  a  complete^ 
though  abridged,  summary  of  Masonic  law  to  the 
degree  of  Royal  Arch;  and  the  volume  of  Col. 
Stone  gives  the  fair  and  full  history  of  the  execu- 
tion of  that  law,  in  its  conflict  of  five  years  with 
the  sovereign  authority  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

In  those  letters  Col.  Stone  had  also  referred,  to 
an  opinion,  previously  expressed  by  me  to  him  in 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  289 

conversation,  that  the  first  step  in  Freemasourj, 
the  initiatory  rite,  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath, 
was  vicious,  immoral,  and  unlawful.  By  this 
publication  of  my  opinion,  which  I  had  not  au- 
thorized, but  to  which  I  could  have  no  objection, 
I  felt  myself  called  upon  to  expose,  by  a  strict 
analysis  of  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath,  the 
reasons  upon  which  I  had  passed  that  summary 
sentence  of  condemnation  upon  it.  I  addressed 
therefore  to  Col.  Stone,  for  publication  in  the 
paper  of  which  he  is  a  joint  editor  in  New  York, 
the  four  letters  on  the  Entered  Apprentice's  oath, 
which  have  since  been  extensively  circulated,  but 
which,  such  is  the  power  of  Masonry  over  the 
periodical  press,  it  required  no  small  exertion  of 
fortitude  and  intrepidity  in  him  to  publish. 

I  shortly  afterward  received  from  Benjamin 
Cowell,  a  citizen  of  Rhode  Island,  a  letter,  asking 
my  opinion  in  what  manner  this  vicious  and  im- 
moral institution  could  most  effectively  be  put 
down.  In  my  answer  to  him  I  suggested  two  ob- 
vious modes  of  ejQfecting  that  object.  The  one, 
that  the  Masons  themselves  should  abolish  or 
cease  to  administer  the  oaths,  obligations,  and 
penalties;  and  the  other,  that  the  administration 
of  them  should  be  prohibited  under  adequate  pen- 
alties by  legislative  enactment  in  the  several  states. 

That  they  should  be  voluntarily  abandoned  by 

19 


290  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

the  Masons  themselves   was   my   first  wish,  be- 
cause that  would  have  been  a  meritorious  act — 
an   act  now  sanctioned  by  the  example   of  the 
lodge  of  my  own  constituents  at   Plymouth,  to 
the  members  of  which  I  tender  hereby  my  warm- 
est  thanks,  and  which,   if  followed   by   all   the 
lodges,  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  (as  it  should,)  put 
down  all  political  Antimasonry  within  the  com- 
monwealth forever.   But  the  General  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  at  a  meeting 
held  at  Baltimore,  had  just  issued  an  edict  forbid- 
ding  this    voluntary   consummation;    and   there 
were  numerous  other   indications,  that   however 
multitudes   of   individual    Masons,    lodges,    and 
chapters  were  disposed  to  yield  to  the  voice  of 
reason,  of  religion,  and  of  law,  and  to  cease  from 
the  further  administration  of  their  hideous  vows, 
this  was  not  the  temper  or  intention  of  the  high 
and  leading  members  of  the   institution;  and  it 
was  apparent  that  the  principle  of  subordination, 
so  essentially  woven  into  the  texture  of  the  order, 
would  deter  most  of  the  inferior  and  affiliated  as- 
sociations of  the  fraternity  from   breaking  their 
fetters  and  dissolving   their   bands.      I  believed, 
therefore,  that  the  aid  of  legislative  prohibition 
with  penalties  would  be  indispensable  for  abating 
this   moral   nuisance   in   the  community ;    and  I 
recommended  that  the  administration  of  the  Ma- 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  291 

sonic  oaths  should  be  prohibited  by  law,  upon 
penalties  of  fine  and  imprisonment,  adequate  to 
deter  from  the  administration  of  them  m  future. 

I  take  this  occasion,  fellow-citizens,  to  justify 
myself  before  you  from  an  aspersion  which  the 
committee  of  the  convention  of  National  Repub- 
licans at  Worcester  (who  resolved  that  their  party 
must  be  a  majority  of  the  people,  not  only  of  the 
commonwealth  but  of  the  Union,)  did  not  dis- 
dain, in  their  zeal,  to  make  that  majority  cast 
upon  me  in  their  address  to  you.  The  committee 
assured  you  that  Antimasonry  was  not  a  proper 
ground  for  political  controversy,  and  as  it  did  not 
suit  their  purposes  fairly  to  state  to  you  the  real 
question  between  Masonry  and  Antimasonry, 
they  presented  you  a  fictitious  one,  invented  in 
the  lodge-room,  and  adopted  by  them  as  their 
own.  They  told  you  that  Antimasonry  was  a 
persecuting  spirit,  the  object  of  which  was  to  de- 
prive Freemasons  of  their  rights ;  and  by  quoting 
with  inverted  commas  a  passage  of  my  letter  to 
Mr.  Cowell,  they  perverted  it  into  an  assertion 
that  I  had  recommended  a  law  to  punish  men 
with  "fine  and  imprisonment"  for  being  Masons. 
I  recommended  no  such  thing;  but  as  I  know 
that  some  of  the  members  of  the  committee 
who  signed  that  address  have  learned  to  read,  and 
as  some  of  them  may  peradventure  in  times  past 


292  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

have  professed  to  be  my  friends,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  a  friend  in  recommending  to  them  the  next 
time  they  shall  be  charged  with  addressing  you, 
in  behalf  of  a  party  which  must  have  a  majority, 
to  respect  you  if  they  will  not  respect  themselves ; 
to  respect  you  by  abstaining  from  the  slander  of 
a  political  adversary,  not  less  by  a  palpable  mis- 
representation than  by  willful  falsehood. 

I  have  great  satisfaction  in  observing  that  with- 
in two  months  after  the  publication  of  the  extracts 
of  my  letter  to  Mr.  Cowell,  the  legislature  of 
Rhode  Island  did,  with  great  unanimity,  enact  a 
law  prohibiting  the  administration  of  extrajudi- 
cial oaths,  upon  penalties  of  fine  and  political  dis- 
franchisement, which  last  is  rather  more  severe , 
but  more  appropriate  to  the  ofiense,  than  that 
which  I  had  proposed.  It  is  to  be  presumed  that 
while  that  law  remains  in  force  the  General 
Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States, 
which  is  to  meet  again  at  the  city  ot  Washington 
in  December,  1835,  will  not  again  enjoin  upon  the 
chapters  and  lodges  under  their  jurisdiction,  at 
least  within  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  a  rigid  ad- 
herence to  the  ancient  landmarks  of  the  order, — 
that  is,  to  these  very  extrajudical  oaths.  They 
will,  I  trust,  abstain  also  from  repeating  the  same 
injunction  to  the  chapters  and  lodges  in  the  State 
of  Vermont,  where  a  similar  law,  prohibitmg  in 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  293 

substance  the  administration  of  the  Masonic  oaths, 
has  lately  been  enacted.  It  happens  that  these 
same  two  states  of  Rhode  Island  and  Vermont 
are  the  identical  states  in  which  the  report  of  the 
committee  of  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  the  United  States  affirmed  that  Ma- 
sonry had  triumphantly  sustained  itself,  and  with 
regard  to  Rhode  Island  that  it  had  been  sustained 
by  the  legislature. 

Fellow-citizens,  I  indulge  the  hope  that  before 
the  next  meeting  of  the  General  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States  your  statute- 
book  will  present  for  their  consideration  the  same 
disposal  of  the  "ancient  landmarks"  of  Freema- 
sonry ;  for  when  you  shall  have  set  your  seal  of 
reprobation  upon  those  abominable  appeals  to  the 
name  of  God,  these  atrocious  obligations,  those 
butchering  and  blasphemous  penalties,  and  when 
the  Freemasons  of  your  commonwealth  shall  sub- 
mit to  your  will,  in  this  enactment,  Antimasonry 
within  your  borders  will  be  extinct — mine  at  least 
will  "  die  away."  There  is  not  a  Freemason  in 
the  state  to  whom  I  bear  personally  a  particle  of 
ill-will.  There  are  many  for  whom  I  entertain  a 
warm  and  cordial  friendship,  even  of  those  who 
have  declared  to  you  that  Freemasonry  knows  no 
penalty  beyond  admonition,  suspension,  and  ex- 
pulsion.   I  am  wiUing  to  believe  that  they  did  not 


294  LETTERS    AND   OPINIONS 

understand,  so  well  as  the  murderers  of  Morgan, 
the  oaths  they  had  taken.  Even  of  those  who 
have  been  slandering  me  without  measure  and 
without  stint,  I  am  ready  to  allow  that  they  are 
only  fulfilling  their  Masonic  obligations,  and  fol- 
lowing their  vocation,  and  that  they  have  the  ex- 
ample of  my  friends  of  the  National  Republi- 
can Worcester  convention  committee,  to  sustain 
them.  Whatever  of  evil  there  is  in  Antimasonry 
is  but  an  aggravation  of  the  sins  of  Masonry 
herself. 

I  am  aware  of  the  objections  to  what  is  called 
political  Antimasonry,  which  have  hitherto  de- 
terred a  large  majority  of  you  from  resorting  to 
it  as  an  extinguisher  to  the  baleful  light  of  Free- 
masonry. One  of  the  most  fascinating  allure- 
ments of  the  "handmaid"  has  been  her  influence 
in  promoting  the  political  advancement  of  the 
brethren  of  the  craft.  Silent  and  secret  in  her 
operations,  she  raised  them  with  invisible  hand  to 
place  and  power,  and  one  of  the  first  discoveries 
made  by  Antimasonry  was  that  three  fourths  of 
all  the  offices  within  range  of  the  cable-tow  were 
occupied  by  Masons.  This  had  become  in  fact 
the  great  and  absorbing  employment  of  lodge, 
chapter,  encampment,  and  consistory;  not  while 
the  tyler  with  drawn  sword  was  at  the  door;  not 
while  the  master,  grand  master,  high-priest,  or 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  295 

illustrious  sir  kuiglit  was  reading  lessons  of 
benevolence  and  charity,  from  the  pages  of  Holy 
Writ ;  not  while  the  slipshod,  hoodwinked,  halter- 
ed, poor,  blind  pilgrim  was  perambulating  the  lodge 
with  pointed  dagger  at  his  breast,  in  search  of 
light;  not  even  in  the  passage  from  labor  to  refresh- 
ment, nor  in  the  choruses  of  Masonic  minstrelsy, 
so  congenial  to  that  decent  mimicry  of  the  in- 
eft'able  Jehovah  in  the  burning  bush.  All  these 
were  but  the  types  and  shadows  of  what  was  to 
come;  all  this  was  but  the  outward  shell  to  the 
kernel  of  Masonic  brotherhood.  The  principle 
of  preference  established  by  the  Masonic  code  of 
politics  was  that  a  brother  of  the  craft  was  to 
be  preferred  to  any  other  of  equal  qualifications. 
It  was  the  odd  trick  of  the  game,  and  it  shuf- 
fled all  the  honors  into  the  liands  of  the  Masonic 
partner. 

This  statute  of  Masonic  law  was  in  the  year 
1816  promulgated  under  the  seal  of  the  compass 
and  square,  by  a  Master  Mason  in  the  Boston 
Sentinel,  the  same  paper  which  afterward  so  vo- 
raciously declared  me  to  be  a  member  of  the 
order.  Little  attention  was  paid  to  this  political 
pass-word  at  the  time.  It  was  taken  for  a  mere 
common  electioneering  paragraph.  Its  operation 
was  neither  seen  nor  suspected.  The  obligation 
had   not  then   been    sharpened    into   a  positive 


296  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

promise  upon  oath,  clinched  as  usual  with  the 
penalty  of  death,  but  as  a  general  portion  of  the 
law  of  exclusive  favor  to  the  brethren  of  the 
craft,  operating  unseen,  and  visible  even  in  its 
ctt'ects  only  to  the  initiated;  it  was,  as  it  always 
must  be,  a  conspiracy  of  the  few  against  the  equal 
rights  of  the  many;  anti-republican  in  its  sap, 
from  the  fruit  blushing  at  the  summit  of  the  plant 
to  the  deepest  fiber  of  its  root. 

It  was,  perhaps,  this  monopoly  of  public  office, 
by  the  Masonic  guide  to  the  ballot-box,  which  first 
suggested  to  the  Antimasonic  party  the  expedient 
of  counteracting  its  effects  by  adopting  the  same 
principle  and  reversing  its  application.  It  need- 
ed nothing  more.  If  the  Mason  was  bound,  be- 
tween candidates  of  equal  qualifications,  to  prefer 
the  brother  of  the  craft,  the  Antimason  was  but 
turning  upon  him  his  own  tables,  in  giving  the 
same  preference  to  the  brother  Antimason.  Yet 
this  is  the  principle  openly  avowed  as  a  fundament- 
al law  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  but  which 
turned  upon  themselves  raises  a  universal  outcry 
ot  proscription,  disfranchisement,  and  persecution. 

Fellow-citizens,  there  is  in  my  mind  an  objec- 
tion to  the  principle  itself.  It  is  but  a  moditicatiou 
of  the  selfish,  intolerant,  and  exclusive  principle 
of  party  spirit.  In  the  Masonic  code  and  practice 
it   has   the  additional   vice    of   secret   operation. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  297 

"WTien  Antimasonry  first  raised  its  heaa  in  Kew 
York  it  found  tliree  fourths  of  all  the  elective  offi- 
ces in  the  state  in  the  hands  of  Masons.  The 
proportion  of  Masons  to  the  whole  population 
was  not  one  fiftieth  part.  How  is  it  with  you 
now?  Look  to  the  delegation  from  your  city  in 
your  House  of  Representatives.  Boston,  to  speak 
in  round  numbers,  has  ten  thousand  citizens  qual- 
ified by  your  constitution  and  laws  to  serve  as 
representatives  in  the  general  council.  Of  these  ten 
thousand,  one  thousand  may  be  Masons.  Boston 
had  last  year  sixty-three  members  in  the  House. 
Of  these,  by  relative  proportion  of  numbers,  there 
should  have  been  six,  or  at  most  seven  Masons. 
How  many  were  there?  Nearly  thirty.  Of  the 
number  this  year  elected,  the  Masonic  proportion 
is  not  less.  Here  are  then  nine  thousand  citizens 
of  Boston,  qualified  to  serve  as  representatives  in 
the  legislature,  virtually  disfranchised,  that  is,  de- 
prived of  the  enjoyment  of  their  rights  by  the 
preference  of  brother  Masons  over  others  of  equal 
qualifications,  and  the  exclusive  selection  of  Ma- 
sons to  fill  the  seats,  the  access  to  which  ought, 
^J  your  constitution  and  laws,  to  be  enjoyed 
equally  by  all. 

Look  to  the  delegation  in  your  Senate  from  tlie 
county  of  Worcester,  the  very  throne  of  Masonry 
in  the  commonwealth.     There  are  in  that  county 


298  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

say  ten  thousand  citizens  eligible  to  the  Senate. 
One  tenth  of  that  number  may  be  Masons — one 
member  in  the  Senate  would  be  more  than  their 
fair  proportion  of  the  representation.  They  have 
live  out  of  six.  Now  if  the  Freemasons  of  Wor- 
cester county  were,  like  the  patricians  of  ancient 
Rome  in  her  early  days,  an  order  of  nobility,  ex- 
clusively eligible  to  seats  in  the  Senate,  what  would 
be  the  difference  of  the  result  from  that  which  is 
here  effected  by  the  Masonic  preference  of  a 
brother  of  the  craft  over  others  of  equal  qualifi- 
cations? 

I  shall  not  now  inquire  what  influence  this  com- 
bined action  of  Masonic  agency,  by  the  united  nu- 
meric power  of  the  city  of  Boston  and  the  county 
of  Worcester  in  your  legislative  councils,  has,  and 
must  have  over  the  administration  and  policy  of 
the  whole  commonwealth.  Its  power  will  be 
pre-eminently  conspicuous  in  the  proceedings  of 
your  legislature.  I  only  invite  your  attentive  ob- 
servation of  its  effects.  Watch  the  movements  of 
your  general  court,  especially  upon  every  subject 
connected  with  the  supremacy  of  Masonry,  and 
observe  the  issues,  as  they  may  affect  your  own 
interests,  of  the  Masonic  sympathies  between  the 
delegations  from  the  city  of  Boston  and  the  county 
of  Worcester. 

The  preference  at  elections^  of  Antimasons  for 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  299 

candidates  of  their  own  opinions,  is  nothing  more 
than  the  application  of  the  Masonic  rule  and  prac- 
tice of  electioneering  to  themselves.  It  is  only 
justifiable  as  a  defensive  measure,  and  as  a  means 
of  counteracting  the  rapacious  grasp  of  Masonry 
at  all  the  offices  of  the  land. 

In  my  letter  to  Mr.  Cowell,  I  did  not  express 
my  approbation  of  political  Antimasonry  even  to 
the  whole  of  this  extent.  I  confined  my  appro- 
bation to  the  election  of  members  to  the  state 
legislature,  and  to  them'  only  until  statutes  pro- 
hibiting with  adequate  penalties  the  administra- 
tion of  Masonic  oaths  should  be  enacted.  The 
legislatures  of  Rhode  Island  and  Vermont  have 
enacted  such  statutes;  and  if  the  Masons  in  those 
two  states  submit  to  them,  Masonry  within  them 
must  ultimately  die,  as  corporations  are  extin- 
guished, by  the  death  of  all  their  members. 

A  far  manlier  and  more  honorable  course  would 
be  that  proposed  by  Samuel  Elliot,  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  of  Vermont,  a  stranger  to  me,  but  a  man 
who  deserves  well  of  his  country,  who  had  the 
intrepidity  to  call  upon  his  brethren  and  compan- 
ions of  the  order  to  yield  to  the  unequivocal  voice 
and  wishes  of  their  fellow-citizens;  to  la}^  down 
their  childish  pageants  and  preposterous  digni- 
ties ;  to  cast  away  their  paper  crowns  and  lackered 
scepters;   their  globe  and   cross-crowned  miters, 


300  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

and  their  harlequin  wooden  swords  of  knight- 
hood ;  and  to  emerge  from  the  tawdy  honors  of 
grand  kings,  and  high-priests,  and  pyinces  of  the 
royal  secret,  and  resume  the  plain,  unembroidered, 
laceless,  but  comfortable  and  decent  garb  of  re- 
publican citizens.  This  proposition  was  indeed 
perilous  to  him  who  made  it,  and  the  flood-gates 
of  slander,  according  to  the  ancient  usages  of  the 
order,  were  immediately  opened  upon  him.  But 
it  was  regularly  considered  and  debated  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  grand  lodge  of  Vermont,  at  which 
were  present  one  hundred  and  twenty  members 
delegated  from  the  several  secular  lodges  in  the 
state.  Of  these,  forty-one  voted  for  accepting  the 
proposal  of  Mr.  Elliot,  one  third  of  the  whole 
number  ;  and  it  was  before  the  act  of  the  legisla- 
ture prohibiting  the  administration  of  extrajudi- 
cial oaths.  Let  the  moral  Antimasons  who  con- 
cur in  the  opinion  that  the  Masonic  oaths  and 
obligations  are  vicious  and  immoral,  but  who  are 
unwilling  to  manifest  this  opinion  at  the  ballot- 
box,  reflect  upon  this  fact.  Immediately  before  it 
occurred  the  two  great  political  parties  had  com- 
bined together,  and  burying  all  their  distinctive 
principles,  and  distributing  prospectively  between 
them  all  the  offices  and  honors  of  the  state,  had 
united  in  one  great  and  convulsive  etibrt  to  put 
down  Antimasonry.    It  failed.     The  atmosphere 


ON    FREEMASONRY.  301 

of  the  Green  Mountains  diffuses  around  them  not 
only  a  physical  but  moral  and  political  air  too 
pure  for  the  contamination  of  political  prostitu- 
tion. The  people  at  the  ballot-boxes  bastardized 
the  fruits  of  this  unnatural  union,  and  prostrated 
both  the  parties  to  it  before  the  lofty  spirit  of 
Antimasonry. 

The  immediate  consequence  of  this  event  was 
the  convocation  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state 
to  consider  the  proposition  of  the  Royal  Arch 
companion  Elliot;  and  although  it  did  not  then 
succeed  entirely,  one  important  step  to  the  disso- 
lution of  the  order  was  taken.  The  grand  lodge 
did  grant  a  permission  to  the  secular  lodges  under 
their  jurisdiction  to  dissolve  themselves — a  proc- 
ess which  it  is  earnestly  to  be  hoped  they  will 
generally  pursue;  for  let  the  institution  but  be 
once  formally  extinguished  by  the  voluntary  act 
of  its  members  in  one  state  of  this  Union,  and  I 
harbor  not  a  doubt  that  it  will  very  shortly  vanish 
from  the  land. 

It  is  to  this  voluntary  relinquishment  of  the 
whole  system  of  Freemasonry  by  its  own  mem- 
bers that  I  look  for  that  great  moral  and  political 
reform  which  will  be  effected  by  the  extinction  of 
the  order.  To  this  sacrifice  of  their  prejudices 
and  their  pride,  of  their  vanities  and  their  follies, 
they  must  be  brought  by  the  power  of  permanent 


802  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

and  quickening  public  opinion.  I  have  approved 
of  the  ballot-box  as  one  of  the  modes  of  manifest- 
ing this  opinion ;  and  this  the  more  readily  be- 
cause it  was  at  the  ballot-box  that  the  maleficent 
power  of  the  Masonic  trowel  was  cementing  the 
edified  of  the  polluted  temple.  But  I  have  not 
deemed  the  ballot-box  the  only,  or  even  the  favor- 
ite, weapon  of  Antimasonry.  I  have  sanctioned 
the  partial  resort  to  it  with  reluctance,  and  would 
rejoice  to  see  the  day  when  it  should  be  no 
longer  necessary.  I  have  indeed  never  resorted 
to  it  myself,  by  interfering  in  any  election  against 
a  Masonic  candidate,  and  have  in  the  discharge 
of  my  own  duties  preferred  other  modes  of  oper- 
ating, to  the  extent  of  my  poor  ability,  upon  pub- 
lic opinion. 

It  was  this  last  motive  that  induced  me  to  pub- 
lish the  four  letters  to  Col.  Stone,  upon  the  En- 
tered Apprentice's  oath,  in  which,  by  a  minute 
analysis  of  it  in  all  its  parts,  the  appeal  to  God, 
the  promise  and  the  penalty,  it  was  my  purpose  to 
prove  it  wrong,  vicious,  unlawful,  and  immoral — 
contrary  to  the  principles  of  Christianity,  of  hu- 
manity, of  law,  of  eternal  truth  and  justice.  To 
those  letters,  now  fifteen  months  published,  not 
one  word  of  reply  has  ever  appeared. 

When  the  General  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter 
of  the  United  States,  at  their  last  triennial  meet- 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  803 

ing,  issued  their  mandate  and  exliortation  to  the 
chapters  under  their  jurisdiction,  and  their  sub- 
ordinate lodges,  to  turn  themselves  into  lyceums 
and  schools  of  useful  knowledge,  but  adhere  to 
their  ancient  landmarks, — meaning  their  oaths,  ob- 
ligations, and  penalties, — I  saw  in  their  proceed- 
ings a  new  occasion  for  an  appeal  to  the  moral 
sense  of  the  community.  Edward  Livingston,  then 
secretary  of  state  of  the  United  States,  was  re-elect- 
ed their  grand  high-priest,  an  office  which  he  had 
occupied  for  the  three  preceding  years.  The  per- 
sonal relations  between  this  gentleman  and  myself 
had  uniformly  been  of  a  friendly  character.  As 
the  legislator  of  a  criminal  code  for  Louisiana, 
and  as  on  more  than  one  occasion  a  sound  expos- 
itor of  the  principles  of  our  national  constitu- 
tion, he  had  acquired  my  esteem,  my  admiration, 
I  had  almost  said  my  veneration.  In  his  code  for 
Louisiana  he  had  proposed  the  total  abolition  of 
the  punishment  of  death,  and  in  his  report  to  the 
legislature  had  supported  this  proposition  with  a 
power  of  reasoning  and  of  eloquence  which, 
without  entirely  convincing  my  judgment,  had 
been  viewed  by  me  as  at  once  the  proof  of  a  vig 
orous  mind  and  the  pledge  of  a  benevolent  heart. 
It  appeared  to  me  impossible  that  such  a  man 
could  read  the  letters  on  the  Entered  Apprentice's 
oath  without  either  assenting  to  their  argument 


804  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

or  perceiving  the  indispensable  necessity  to  the 
institution  of  refuting  it.  I  could  not  believe  it 
possible  that  he  should  deliberately  consider  the 
oaths,  obligations,  and  penalties,  which  it  was  yet 
his  official  duty  to  administer,  either  innocent,  or 
harmless  daceptions — speaking,  in  the  name  of 
God,  one  thing  and  meaning  another.  As  the 
general  grand  high-priest  of  Masonry  in  the 
United  States,  he  was  bound  to  be  the  official  de- 
fender of  the  institution  against  any  serious 
charge  of  unlawfulness  or  immorality,  and  he 
had,  perhaps  inconsiderately,  assumed  not  only 
that  character,  but  that  of  an  accuser  of  Antima- 
sonry  at  the  bar  of  public  opinion,  in  his  inaugu- 
ral address  at  his  first  installation.  I  sent  him, 
therefore,  a  copy  of  the  letters  on  the  Entered 
Apprentice's  oath,  and  addressed  six  letters  to 
himself,  calling  upon  him  to  defend  his  institution 
or  to  purge  it  of  its  impurities ;  to  maintain  his 
charges  against  a  numerous  and  respectable  class 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  or  to  retract  them. 

There  are  men  upon  whom  the  consciousness  of 
having  done  great  wrong  to  others  produces  lit- 
tle remorse,  unless  awakened  to  the  sense  of  their 
own  injustice  by  feeling  the  ajDplication  of  the 
scourge  from  another  hand.  I  did  not  believe 
Mr.  Livingston  to  be  a  person  of  such  a  character. 
I  gave  him  credit  for  honest  and  generous  feeling. 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  805 

I  believed  that  if  remiuded  of  a  gross  injury  com- 
mitted inadvertently  by  himself  in  the  form  of 
erroneous  imputations  upon  others,  he  would  has- 
ten to  repair  it.  The  voluntary  reparation  of  its 
own  injustice  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  features 
of  true  magnanimity.  Mr.  Livingston  did  not 
notice  my  letters — not  even  by  acknowledging  the 
receipt  of  them.  Had  they  been  upon  any  other 
subject,  I  have  reason  to  know  that  they  would 
have  been  received  with  friendly  acknowledgment 
and  courtesy.  But  you  will  recollect  that  in  his 
inaugural  address  upon  his  installation  as  the 
grand  high-priest  of  the  General  Grand  Royal 
Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States,  to  his  breth- 
ren and  companions,  he  advised  them  that  if  the 
cause  and  the  effect, — if  the  oaths,  obligations,  and 
penalties  of  Masonry  as  the  cause,  and  the  literal 
execution  of  them  upon  Morgan  and  Miller  as  the 
effect, — followed  by  the  baffling  of  the  sovereign 
authority  of  the  State  of  Kew  York  in  all  its  ex- 
ertions to  bring  the  murderers  and  incendiaries  to 
justice;  if  the  throat-cutting,  emboweling,  heart 
and  vital  tearing,  skull-smiting,  hanging,  drown- 
ing, quartering,  double  and  treble  eternal  damna- 
tion of  the  penalties  on  one  side,  and  if  on  the 
other  the  apathy  of  the  Masonic  executive  gov- 
ernment of  New  York,  the  packing  of  Masonic 
juries  by  Masonic  sheriffs,  the  perjuries  and  pre- 

20 


306  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

varications  of  Masonic  witnesses,  the  grants  of 
Masonic  funds  by  the  grand  lodge  and  grand 
chapter  of  New  York  to  the  convicted  and  con- 
fessing kidnappers  of  Morgan,  under  the  denomi- 
nation of  western  sufferers ;  if  the  illustrious  and 
successful  achievement  of  the  encampment  of 
Knights  Templars  in  New  York,  in  rescuing  from 
the  gibbet  and  conveying  beyond  the  seas  one 
of  the  murderers  of  Morgan; — if  all  this  should 
be  pressed  home  and  hard  upon  the  fraternity, 
they  should  meet  it  all  with  dignified  silence. 

I  could  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  at  finding 
him]  practice  upon  his  own  precept,  or  at  discov- 
ering the  difference  of  moral  principle  between 
Edward  Livingston  the  legislator  of  Louisiana 
and  Edward  Livingston  the  general  grand  high- 
priest  of  the  Royal  Arch  Masonry  of  the  Union. 

You  will  observe,  fellow-citizens,  that  neither 
in  my  letters  to  Col.  Stone  nor  those  to  Edward 
Livingston  was  there  one  word  of  political  Anti- 
masonry.  The  object  of  the  letters  to  Col.  Stone 
was  to  prove  by  plain  and  unanswerable  argu- 
ment that  the  Masonic  institution  in  its  first  rite 
of  initiation  is  radically  and  incurably  vicious. 
That  of  the  letters  to  Mr.  Livingston  was  to  prevail 
upon  him  to  exercise  his  great  and  powerful  in- 
fluence to  discard  those  oaths,  obligations,  and 
penalties,  which  are  the  indelible  disgrace  of  the 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  307 

order.  To  these  letters  no  answer  has  been  made 
or  attempted. 

When  my  letter  to  Mr.  Co  well  was  first  pub- 
lished it  was  in  like  manner  left  unnoticed.  But 
when  the  recent  election  came  on,  then  came  the 
season  for  revenge ;  then  it  was  that  a  part  of  my 
letter  to  Mr.  Cowell  was  produced,  published,  and 
trumpeted  abroad,  and  by  the  same  process  which 
in  Masonic  logic  and  language  expounds  a  throat 
cut  across  from  ear  to  ear  to  mean  expulsion  from 
a  lodge, — a  declaration  that  I  would,  if  a  member 
of  a  state  legislature,  vote  for  the  enactment  of  a 
statute  prohibiting  upon  pain  of  fine  and  impris- 
onment the  administration  in  future  of  the  Ma- 
sonic oaths, — was  represented  as  a  recommenda- 
tion to  cast  iuto  prison  every  Freemason  to  whom 
the  oaths  have  been  administered  heretofore. 
And  this  Royal  Arch  mistake  the  committee  of 
the  Worcester  convention  did  not  disdain,  in  ad- 
dressing you,  to  adopt  and  make  their  own. 

Before  entering  upon  the  field  of  the  Masonic 
controversy  I  had  not  only  deemed  it  my  indis- 
pensable duty  to  possess  myself  of  the  facts  and 
principles  material  to  it,  but  to  contemplate  the 
consequences    which    would,    and    those    which 

might,  result  from  being  involved  in  it  myself. 
In  the  district  which  I  was  then  to  represent  in 

congress,  about  two  fifths  of  the  population  were 


308  LETTERS   AND    OPINIONS 

Antimasons;  but  the  political  majorities  in  both 
the  counties  of  Plymouth  and  of  Norfolk  were 
Masonic,  or  at  least  adverse  to  Antimasonry. 
Throughout  the  commonwealth  the  Antimasons 
were  in  numbers  scarcely  one  fifth,  and  in  Boston 
not  more  than  one  tenth,  of  the  voting  citizens, 
while  the  combined  concentrated  action  of  the 
three  Masonic  strongholds  of  the  state — Boston, 
Worcester,  and  Salem, — had  already  succeeded, 
in  accordance  with  the  mandate  of  the  general 
grand  high-priest  of  the  Koyal  Arch  Chapter  of 
the  United  States,  in  raising  clouds  of  obloquy 
and  persecution  against  the  cause  of  Antimasonry 
itself,  and  against  all  who  espoused  it.  I  saw 
very  distinctly  that  Antimasonry  was  not  the 
path  of  ambition.  It  was  certain  to  give  umbrage 
to  a  large  majority  of  the  people  of  the  state 
under  their  then  existing  impressions.  It  would 
probably  displease  three  fifths  of  my  own  con- 
stituents, whose  displeasure  might  soon  be  mani- 
fested at  the  ballot-box.  Their  sufirages  had  not 
been  solicited  by  me,  nor  had  I  the  most  distant 
imagination  that  I  should  ever  appear  as  a  candi- 
date for  the  suftrages  of  the  people  of  the  state, 
as  their  chief  magistrate.  I  had  at  other  periods 
of  my  life  enjoyed  large  portions  of  their  favor, 
and  had  received  recent  proof  that  that  favor  was 
not  abated.    I  had  nothing  more  ever  to  ask  ofj 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  309 

them  but  their  good  opinion,  and  that  was  inex- 
pressibly precious  to  me.  Why  should  I  expose 
myself  to  the  risk  of  forfeiting  it  altogether,  with- 
out any  earthly  object  or  prospect  of  benefit  to 
myself? 

My  only  answer  to  this  question  is.  It  was  the 
cause  of  truth  and  pure  morals;  it  was  an  abused 
and  calumniated  cause ;  it  was  a  cause  deeply  in- 
teresting to  my  constituents,  to  my  fellow-citi- 
zens, and  to  my  country. 

My  re-election  to  congress  by  an  undiminished 
majority  of  my  constituents  had  been  very  grat- 
ifying to  me,  as  a  token  that  the  portion  of  my 
fellow-citizens  in  that  district,  opposed  to  Anti- 
masonry,  were  so  far  disposed  to  tolerate  my  dis- 
agreement in  opinion  with  them  upon  this  point 
that  they  did  not  consider  it  as  a  reason  for  with- 
drawing their  confidence  from  me. 

The  Masonic  denunciation  and  misrepresenta- 
tion of  my  letter  to  Mr.  Cowell  had  been  tried 
against  me  there,  without  efiect.  ^"either  Mason- 
ry nor  Antimasonry  were  subjects  of  controversy 
in  congress,  and  it  was  enough  for  me  know  that 
the  great  mass  of  my  constituents  were  satisfied 
that  my  zeal  for  Antimasonry  had  in  no  wise  in- 
terfered with  the  faithful  discharge  of  my  duties 
as  their  representative. 

The  Antimasonic  convention  held  at  Boston  in 


310  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

September  were  pleased  to  nominate  me  as  their 
candidate  for  your  suffrages  as  chief  magistrate 
of  the  commonwealth  for  the  ensuing  year.  I 
knew  that  their  chief  object  in  tendering  to  me 
the  nomination  was  to  make  an  effort  to  restore 
the  harmony  between  the  two  divisions  of  the 
IN'ational  Republican  party,  which  had  long  con- 
stituted the  vast  majority  of  the  people  of  the 
commonwealth.  They  were  as  yet  separated  only 
by  that  line.  I  believe  there  was  no  neutral 
ground.  Aware  of  personal  prejudices  against 
me,  existing  in  a  respectable  portion  of  the  Na- 
tional Republican  party,  upon  other  and  long- 
standing collisions  between  them  and  me, — and 
the  public  service  in  which  I  was  engaged  being 
more  adapted  to  the  experience  of  my  past  life, 
and  better  suited  to  considerations  of  interest  to 
me,  thougb  of  none  to  the  public, — I  had  very 
sincerely  hoped  and  expected  that  the  views  of 
the  Antimasonic  party  would  unite  upon  some 
other  citizen  as  their  candidate  for  the  chief 
magistracy  of  the  state.  Their  nomination  was 
however  placed  upon  grounds  which  it  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  withstand;  and  as  I  knew  it 
was  on  their  part  a  tender  of  the  olive-branch  to 
those  of  their  fellow-citizens  with  whom  they  had 
long  walked  in  the  strength  of  united  councils, 
and  from  whom  they  had  parted  only  at  the  die- 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  311 

tate  of  a  pure,  uncompromising,  moral  principle, 
I  accepted  their  nomination  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  it  was  tendered,  and  in  my  answer  of  ac- 
ceptance expressed  to  them  my  determination, 
if  the  sufi'rages  of  the  people  should  confirm 
their  nomination,  to  carry  into  etfect,  to  the 
utmost  extent  of  my  ability,  their  purpose  of  re- 
storing harmony  to  the  commonwealth,  and  of 
promoting,  as  far  as  possible,  that  of  the  Union. 
But  in  this  acceptance,  you  will  perceive,  fel- 
low-citizens, there  was  a  condition  express- 
ed,— and  there  was  also  one  implied.  The  ex- 
pressed condition  was,  the  contingency  that  the 
suffrages  of  the  people  should  confirm  the  nomin- 
ation. I  was  resolved  in  no  event  to  hold  the 
office  of  governor  of  the  commonwealth  from 
any  hands  other  than  those  of  a  majority  of  the 
people  themselves,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  it 
was  impossible  for  the  representative  of  a  minor- 
ity of  the  people  to  be  the  suitable  agent  for  pro- 
moting harmony  among  them.  If,  therefore,  a 
majority  of  the  people  should  reject  the  nomina- 
tion accepted  by  me,  it  was  clear  that  the  restora- 
tion of  harmon}',  if  to  be  effected  at  all,  must  be 
accomplished  under  happier  auspices  than  my 
elevation  to  your  highest  trust.  A  failure,  there- 
fore, of  a  single  vote  short  of  a  majority,  consti- 
tuting me   your  governer    by   your   own   voice, 


312  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

would  have  been  a  decisive  indication  to  me  that 
harmony  could  only  be  promoted  by  me,  not 
by  persevering  in  the  contest  of  an  election,  but 
(if  in  any  possible  manner)  by  retiring  from  it. 

The  implied  condition  was  dependent  upon  the 
same  contingency.  It  was  that  my  election  should 
involve  no  dereliction  of  other  public  duties  with 
which  I  was  charged.  I  was  a  representative  elect 
of  the  twelfth  district  of  the  commonwealth  in  the 
congress  of  the  United  States.  Of  the  importance 
to  your  interests  and  to  the  welfare  of  the  Union 
that  you  should  have  a  full  representation  in  the 
popular  branch  of  the  national  legislature,  at  all 
times  and  without  intermission,  I  had  always  had 
a  strong  impression,  and  have  now  an  impression 
much  deepened  by  the  painful  experience  of  the 
last  congress,  in  which,  for  the  want  of  that  fall 
representation,  you  suffered  in  various  ways  gross 
injustice,  and  particularly  by  the  curtailment  of 
your  constitutional  right  in  that  representation 
itself.  As  the  representative  of  the  twelfth  dis- 
trict, I  held  it  to  be  my  duty  to  enter  into  no  en- 
gagement which  should  deprive  my  constituents 
of  their  voice  in  the  national  legislature  for  a 
single  day.  [If,  therefore,  even  before  your  annual 
election  was  held,  I  had  seen  reason  to  expect  that 
I  should  be  chosen  your  governor  by  the  majority 
of  the  people,  I  should  have  resigned  my  seat  in 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  313 

congress  in  ample  time  to  give  my  constituents 
the  opportunity  before  the  meeting  of  congress 
to  elect  another  representative  in  my  place.  The 
convention  held  at  Worcester  the  first  week 
in  October  rendered  this  measure  on  my  part 
unnecessary,  and  in  resolving  to  taJie  my  seat  in 
congress  I  assumed  the  fulfillment  of  duties  in- 
compatible with  my  acceptance  of  the  ofiice  of 
governor  of  the  commonwealth. 

In  saying  this,  fellow-citizens,  I  intend  no  re- 
flection upon  the  candidate  of  the  National  Re- 
publican party  for  your  suffrages  as  governor; 
nor  do  I  mean  to  say  or  insinuate  that  he  is  or 
should  be  bound  by  the  principles  of  conduct 
which  my  sense  of  duty  prescribes  to  me  for  the 
government  of  mine.  He  was  nominated  by  a 
convention,  who,  instead  of  tendering  or  accepting 
an  olive-branch,  resolved  that  they  must  have  a 
majority,  and  set  all  other  parties  in  the  common- 
wealth at  defiance.  He  had  no  call  from  them  to 
promote  harmony;  and  if  in  the  event  of  his 
election  he  should,  as  I  hope  and  trust  he  will,  do 
80,  it  will  be  in  the  indulgence  of  his  own  fair  and 
honorable  spirit,  and  not  by  following  the  impulse 
of  that  convention,  who,  representing  the  remnant 
of  a  party  which  once  had  a  majority,  seem  to 
have  persuaded  themselves  that  it  must  necessa- 
rily last  forever. 


314  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

He  has  besides  this  a  vote  of  the  people  by 
several  thousands  larger  than  mine ;  and  although 
by  the  provisions  of  your  constitution  this  is  not 
sufficient  for  his  election,  nor  even  to  control  the 
choice  of  your  representatives  in  the  legislature, 
it  is  yet  amply  sufficient  reason  for  me  to  with- 
draw from  a  contest  with  him,  but  not  calling  up- 
on him  to  withdraw  from  a  contest  with  me,  or 
with  either  of  the  other  candidates  nominated  by 
the  convention. 

He  is  also  the  representative  of  one  of  your  dis- 
tricts in  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  and 
his  acceptance  of  the  office  of  governor  will  nec- 
essarily vacate  his  seat,  and  leave  his  constituents 
for  a  time  (I  hope  a  very  short  one)  unrepresented. 

Mr.  Davis  does  not  estimate  the  evil  and  dan- 
ger of  incomplete  representation  in  the  congress 
of  the  United  States  as  of  so  great  magnitude  as 
I  do;  and  I  regret  to  say  that  your  opinions  upon 
this  subject  appear  to  correspond  more  with  his 
sentiments  than  with  mine.  There  is  a  ffreat 
defect  in  your  laws,  relating  to  the  election  of 
members  of  the  House  of  Kepresentatives  of  the 
United  States.  They  require  an  absolute  majority 
of  all  the  votes  returned,  and  make  no  provision 
for  the  contingency  frequently  occurring  when 
such  majority  can  not  be  obtained.  This  is  one  of 
the  cases  in  which  practicable  good  is  sacrificed  to 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  315 

theoretic  perfection ;  a  principle  unsound  in  mor- 
als and  mischievous  in  politics.  The  consequence 
of  it  is,  that  by  adhering  to  it  inflexibly  you  vol- 
untarily deprive  yourselves  of  the  full  represent- 
ation to  which  you  are  entitled. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  last  congress  two 
of  your  districts  were  thus  unrepresented,  and  the 
immediate  consequence  of  that  was  the  choice  of 
a  speaker  assuredly  not  favorable  to  your  inter- 
ests. Had  those  two  vacancies  been  filled,  another 
person,  less  hostile  to  you,  would  have  been 
chosen.  Committees  would  have  been  appointed 
with  more  regard  to  impartiality,  and  you  would 
not  have  been  deprived  by  political  management 
of  one  thirteenth  part  of  your  right  in  the  repre- 
sentation, as  you  have  been,  for  the  next  ten  years. 
Kor  is  this  the  only  or  the  greatest  wrong  you  are 
suftering  and  will  suffer  by  your  perseverance  in 
stripping  yourselves  of  your  own  right.  At  the 
time  to  which  I  allude  your  whole  delegation 
in  the  House,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Davis, 
were  so  impressed  with  the  importance  of  this  de- 
fect in  your  laws  that  they  addressed  a  joint  let- 
ter to  Governor  Lincoln,  requesting  him  to  rec- 
ommend a  revision  of  them  to  the  legislature. 
He  did  so ;  but  no  effectual  remedy  was  provided. 
You  remained  for  nearly  the  whole  congress  un- 
represented for  one  of  your  districts;  for  nearly 


316  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

the  whole  of  a  long  and  most  important  session 
unrepresented  for  both;  and  now,  at  this  day, 
shorn  of  your  constitutional  right  to  one  member 
by  a  grossly  unjust  apportionment  law,  you  are 
again  self-divested  of  the  right  to  another,  by  the 
neglect  of  your  past  legislature  to  provide  a  remedy 
for  the  evil.  To  provide  such  a  remedy,  I  believe 
to  be  one  of  their  most  imperious  duties  to  you. 
That  an  effectual  remedy  is  perfectly  in  their 
power,  the  example  of  nearly  every  other  state  in 
the  Union  testifies ;  and  I  can  only  express,  as  I 
do,  my  earnest  and  anxious  hope  that  not  one 
more  session  of  your  legislature  shall  be  suffered 
to  pass  without  some  provision  of  law  which 
shall  secure  to  you  at  least  the  remnant  of  your 
right  to  representation  in  the  councils  of  the  na- 
tion which  the  injustice  of  the  present  apportion- 
ment law  has  left  you. 

Let  me  not  be  understood  as  recommending  the 
principle,  though  sustained  by  the  example  of  sev- 
eral states  of  the  Union,  that  a  simple  plurality  of 
votes  should  be  sufficient  for  an  election.  There 
is  among  the  temporary  laws  of  the  common- 
wealth a  statute  enacted  in  the  year  1803,  which 
while  it  lasted  did  insure  to  you  a  full  representa- 
tion in  congress;  but  it  was  suffered  to  expire, 
rather  by  inadvertence  than  from  any  dissatisfac- 
tion that  was  ever  occasioned  by  it.    To  the  prin- 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  317 

ciple  of  requiring  an  absolute  majority  of  votes  I 
would  adhere  so  long  as  a  reasonable  hope  of  ef- 
fecting it  could  be  entertained ;  but  after  two  un- 
successful attempts  I  believe  it  would  be  a  safer 
expedient  to  terminate  the  contest  even  by  draw- 
ing lots  for  the  choice,  than  by  the  protracted  col- 
lisions and  festering  irritations  of  an  interminable 
struggle  to  turn  the  elective  franchise  into  an 
instrument  of  its  own  destruction. 

Entertaining  these  opinions  and  holding  these 
principles,  I  consider  the  delegation  to  me  of  the 
authority  to  represent  in  the  national  legislature, 
the  inhabitants  of  your  twelfth  congressional  dis- 
trict, as  a  trust,  to  be  fulfilled  with  diligence  as 
well  as  fidelity.  Kot  one  day — not  one  hour — of 
voluntary  absence  from  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
incumbent  on  that  trust  have  I  permitted  to  my- 
self during  the  twenty-second  congress,  nor  shall 
I  permit  to  myself  during  the  twenty-third.  In 
accepting  the  nomination  of  the  convention  at 
Boston,  it  was  therefore  with  the  implied  condi- 
tion that  it  should  in  no  wise  interfere  with  the 
fulfillment  of  my  duties  to  my  constituents  of  the 
twelfth  congressional  district ;  and  from  the  mo- 
ment it  was  ascertained  that  an  absolute  majority 
of  the  people  of  the  commonwealth  had  not  con- 
firmed the  nomination  of  the  Antimasonic  con- 
vention, my  determination  was  taken.     And  this 


318  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

determination  was  the  more  cheerfully  made  be- 
cause the  three  other  citizens  between  whom  your 
sujffrages  are  divided,  and  who  will  go  as  candi- 
dates nominated  by  you  to  the  legislature,  are  all 
persons  of  ability  and  integrity,  with  whom  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  being  acquainted  both  in 
public  and  private  life,  and  in  whom  I  have  great 
confidence.  To  yield  to  either  of  them  any  pre- 
tensions that  I  might  have  to  your  favor  or  that 
of  your  legislature,  costs  me  not  the  slightest  sac- 
rifice ;  and  after  what  I  hare  said  of  Mr.  Davis,  it 
can  not  be  improper  for  me  to  add  that  the  pref- 
erence which  I  should  without  hesitation  assign  to 
him,  had  I  a  vote  in  the  election,  would  be  as 
much  in  the  indulgence  of  my  own  inclination  as 
in  deference  to  yours — it  being  evident  to  me  from 
the  comparative  numbers  of  the  returns  that  in 
the  failure  of  an  absolute  majority  of  your  suffra- 
ges for  any  one  his  share  of  them  approaches  the 
nearest  to  it,  and  must  therefore  be  considered  by 
me  as  most  deserving  of  it. 

In  concluding  this  exposition  of  my  own  mo- 
tives for  assenting  to  the  nomination  of  the  Anti- 
masonic  convention,  and  now  for  withdrawing 
from  the  contest,  let  me  give  the  parting  advice 
of  a  friend  to  the  remnant  of  the  party  styling 
themselves  National  Republicans,  with  whom  I 
have  generally  concurred  in  opinion  upon  most  of 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  319 

the  great  interests  of  the  nation  and  of  the  com- 
monwealth — though  I  have  never  professed  to  be 
one  of  them  or  of  any  other  party.  Let  me  exhort 
them  to  revise  the  political  class-book,  the  ele- 
ments of  which  confound  the  distinction  between 
the  meanino:  of  the  words  must  and  vnll.  Let 
them  learn  that  it  is  not  sufficient  for  a  party  to 
resolve  that  they  must  have  a  majority  of  votes, 
without  using  just  and  proper  means  to  obtain 
it.  Let  them  especially  learn  that  to  put  down 
Aiitimasonry  it  is  not  enough  for  them  dogmat- 
ically to  tell  you  that  they  "  look  upon  the  Masonic 
fraternity  as  furnishing  no  cause  for  political 
strife." 

The  opinions  of  their  addressing  committee  are 
no  doubt  of  great  weight  upon  subjects  which  they 
understand;  but  in  the  utter  ignorance  of  the 
nature,  character,  and  condition  of  the  Masonic 
institution  which  their  address  displays,  it  is  not 
from  them  that  you  will  receive  a  dictation  how 
you  shall  look  upon  it.  They  speak  of  Freema- 
sonry as  "  an  inefficient  and  almost  superannuated 
institution."  A.n  institution  which,  at  the  moment 
when  thus  characterized  by  them,  was  convulsing 
all  the  free  states  of  this  Union ;  an  institution  in 
the  support  of  which,  under  the  transparent  mask 
of  neutrality,  they  were  addressing  you  with 
pages  of  invective  and  slander  upon  its  adversa- 


320  LETTERS   AND   OPINIONS 

ries;  an  institution,  under  the  Rhadow  of  whose 
wings  they,  and  the  convention  whose  voice  they 
assumed  to  speak,  were  as  effectively  assembled  as 
if  every  individual  of  them  had  drank  the  cup  of 
the  fifth  libation !  They  tell  you  in  the  face  of 
day,  that  Freemasonry  is  an  inefiicient  and  almost 
superannuated  institution ! 

And  since  when  is  it  inefficient  and  almost  su- 
perannuated? Had  the  committee  which  penned 
that  address  heard  the  eloquent  orator  of  the  craft 
at  Kew  London,  in  July,  1825?  He  spoke  of  the 
then  -present  time,  and  said,  "  It  is  powerful.  It 
comprises  men  of  rank,  wealth,  office,  and  talent, 
in  power  and  out  of  power,  and  that  in  almost 
every  place  where  power  is  of  any  importance. 
And  it  comprises  among  other  classes  of  the  com- 
munity, to  the  lowest,  in  large  numbers,  active 
men  united  together,  and  capable  of  being  directed 
by  the  efforts  of  others  so  as  to  have  the  force  of 
concert  throughout  the  civilized  world.  They  are 
distributed  too  with  the  means  of  knowing  one 
another,  and  the  means  of  co-operating,  in  the 
desk,  in  the  legislative  hall,  on  the  bench,  in  every 
gathering  of  business,  in  every  part  of  pleasure, 
in  every  domestic  circle,  in  peace  and  in  war, 
among  enemies  and  friends,  in  one  place  as  well 
as  in  another." 

Is  this  the  inefficient  and  almost  superannuated 


ON   FREEMASONRY.  321 

institution  of  tlie  committee?  And  upon  this 
faithful  Masonic  representation  of  Masonic  power, 
did  you  mark  this  concerted  secret  faculty  of  mu- 
tual recognition  for  the  purposes  of  co-operation, 
in  the  legislative  hall  ?  Did  you  mark  its  ascent 
upon  the  very  bench  of  justice?  Is  this  the  inef- 
ficient and  almost  superannuated  institution  ? 
What  must  be  the  result  of  a  mutual  secret  recog- 
nition for  the  purposes  of  co-operation  between  a 
judge  on  the  bench,  and  a  suitor  or  a  culprit  at 
the  bar?  Inquire  of  tiie  records  of  the  judicial 
tribunals  of  Kew  York,  and  they  will  furnish  the 
answer. 

Has  the  institution,  in  the  short  space  of  time 
since  the  exhibition  of  this  glowiug  picture  of  its 
power,  been  suddenly  struck  with  inefiiciency  and 
superannuation?  If  the  committee  had  consulted 
Masonic  authority  they  would  have  found  that 
the  interval  of  fifteen  months  between  the  deliv- 
ery of  this  discourse  and  the  murder  of  William 
Morgan  was  one  of  unparalleled  prosperity  to  the 
order,  and  unexampled  multiplication  of  its  mem- 
bers. Since  the  execution  of  the  law  of  Masonry 
upon  Morgan,  by  the  co-operation,  among  others, 
of  the  bench,  the  institution  has  been,  and  contin- 
ues to  be,  a  church  militant;  and  if  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  that  warfare  it  has  lost  some  of  its 
efficiency,  to  whom  and  to  what  is  this  diminution 

21 


322  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

of  its  power  attributable?  To  Antimasonrj — to 
political  Antimasonry  aloue.  All  the  measures 
takeu  to  bring  the  murderers  of  Morgan  and  in- 
cendiaries of  Miller's  house  to  justice,  were  taken 
by  political  Antimasons.  Almost  all  of  them 
were  defeated  by  the  power  of  mutual  recog- 
nition and  co-operation  upon  the  bench,  and  in  the 
jury-box,  and  on  the  witnesses'  stand.  The  dis- 
closure of  the  Masonic  oaths,  obligations,  and 
penalties  was  made  by  political  Antimasons, 
seceders  from  the  order.  Political  Antimasonry, 
and  that  alone,  has  prostrated  the  power  of  Ma- 
sonry throughout  the  whole  of  that  region  of  the 
State  of  New  York  where  the  most  atrocious  of 
her  crimes  had  been  committed.  There,  in  the 
very  center  of  her  unhallowed  dominion,  her 
scepter  is  broken,  her  voice  is  silenced,  her  hand 
is  paralyzed;  she  is  scotched,  not  killed.  And 
so  entirely  does  the  existence,  and  of  course  all 
the  evil,  of  political  Antimasonry  depend  upon 
the  active  and  mischievous  existence  of  Masonry 
herself,  that  wherever  she  disappears,  even  but  by 
hiding  her  face,  political  Antimasonry  disappears 
with  her.  The  people  cease  to  consider  either 
Masonry  or  Antimasonry  as  a  test  of  qualification 
for  office.  Masons  and  Masonic  adherents  share 
the  favor  of  the  people  in  common  with  others, 
and  then  all  the  trumpets  of  Masonry  where  she 


ON  FREEMASONRY.  323 

still  reigns  sound  the  note  of  triumph  that  Anti- 
masonry  is  "  dying  away." 

Political  Antimasonry  is  founded  upon  a  pure, 
precise,  unequivocal  principle  of  morals.  That 
this  is  the  Antimasonic  cause  the  committee  who 
addressed  you  against  it  dare  not  deny.  Moral 
principle  is  the  vital  breath  of  Antimasonry. 
That  a  party  thus  originated  and  thus  constituted 
should  be  traduced,  slandered,  and  vilified  by  men 
having  any  pretension  to  morality  of  any  kind 
themselves  is  not  surprising,  only  because  it  cor- 
responds with  the  general  current  of  history  and 
the  ordinary  operation  of  human  passions. 

Political  Antimasonry  sprung  from  the  bosom 
of  the  people  themselves;  and  it  was  the  cry  of 
horror  from  the  unlearned,  unsophisticated  voice 
of  the  people  at  the  murder  of  Morgan,  at  the 
prostration  of  law  and  justice  in  the  impunity  of 
his  murderers,  and  at  the  disclosure  of  the  Ma- 
sonic obligations.  That  cry  arose  not  from  the 
mansions  of  the  wealthy,  nor  from  the  cabinets 
of  the  learned  or  of  the  great,  not  even  from  the 
sentinels  on  the  watch-towers  of  Zion;  it  came 
from  the  broad  basis  of  the  population — from  the 
less  educated  and  most  numerous  class  of  the 
community.  So  it  is  with  all  great  moral  reforms. 
"When  the  gospel  of  peace  itself  was  proclaimed, 
who  was  its  founder?    To  worldly  eyes,  the  son 


324  LETTERS    AND    OPINIONS 

of  a  carpenter.  "Who  were  its  apostles  ?  Fisher- 
men and  toll-gatherers,  publicans  and  sinners. 
Then  the  priest  and  the  Levite,  the  Pharisee  and 
the  Sadducee,  the  Epicurean  and  the  Stoic,  the 
lioman  governor  and  Jewish  king,  stood  aloof, 
or  co-operated  in  the  crucifixion  of  the  Savior. 
Not  many  wise  men,  not  many  mighty,  not  many 
noble,  felt  the  efficacy  of  the  call ;  and  they  who 
did  immediately  became  the  subject  of  every  per- 
secution and  every  indignity. 

Let  me  draw  no  irreverent  parallel,  but  the  his- 
tory of  Christianity,  in  its  secondary  causes,  is 
the  history  of  all  reformations  of  morals.  It  was 
by  means  of  the  political  Antimasonic  excitement 
that  the  spirit  of  reformation  penetrated  from  the 
mass  of  the  people  into  the  bosom  of  the  lodge, 
chapter,  and  encampment  themselves. 

The  Le  Roy  conventions  were  composed  of  se- 
ceding Masons.  The  Dagan  of  the  temple  fell  in 
the  presence  and  by  the  hands  of  his  own  wor- 
shipers. If,  then,  Masonry  has  lost  some  portion 
of  her  efficiency  since  the  boasting  celebration  of 
her  power  by  her  orator  at  I^ew  London,  it  is  to 
political  Antimasonry  alone  that  this  purification 
of  the  public  morals  must  be  ascribed.  At  this 
moment,  between  the  convulsive  struggles  of  Ma- 
sonry to  maintain  in  this  commonwealth  her  em- 
pire; paramount  to  the  laws,  and  the  persevering 


ON  FREEMASONEY.  325 

efforts  of  Antimasonry  to  redeem  their  su- 
premacy, all  the  great  parties  in  the  state  ap- 
pear to  be  dissolving  into  their  elements.  Your 
political  divisions  are  becoming  petty  altercations 
for  men ;  all  community  of  feeling  and  interest 
in  public  concerns  is  shivering  into  rags.  You 
have  been  unable  to  concentrate  your  votes  with 
united  energy  sufficient  to  elect  the  ordinary 
officers  of  your  government.  You.  have  of  your 
own  choice  no  governor,  no  lieutenant-governor, 
scarcely  a  quorum  of  your  Senate,  and  multi- 
tudes of  the  representatives  of  your  towns  have 
failed  to  be  elected  by  yourselves. 

A  long  continuance  of  this  state  of  things  will 
yield  you  and  your  interests  to  the  mercy  of  those 
associated  with  you  in  the  national  compact, — yet 
feeling  no  sympathy  with  you,  but  much  rather  a 
disposition  to  trample  you  under  their  feet.  Of  all 
this  Freemasonry  is  the  cause.  Let  but  the  mem- 
bers of  that  fraternity  within  your  borders  con- 
vert their  lodges  into  lyceums,  and  cease  the  ad- 
ministration of  their  oaths,  and  you  may  again  be 
a  happy  and  united  people.  May  it  so  please  the 
Supreme  Disposer  of  events,  prays,  with  every 
sentiment  of  respect  and  gratitude  to  you. 
Your  friend  and  fellow-citizen. 

John  Quingy  Adams. 


A.PP»ENr)IX. 


The- following  are  exact  copies  of  the  oaths,  obligations,  and  penal- 
ties of  the  first  three  degrees  in  Masonry,— the  Entered  Apprentice, 
Fellowcraft,  and  the  Master  Mason, — extracted  from  the  old  manuscript 
mejationed  in  Colonel  William  L.  Stone's  Letters  on  Masonry  and  Anti- 
masonry,  Letter  7,  page  67;  and  in  the  Appendix,  p.  3,  where  it  is  said 
that  while  Morgan  was  at  Rochester,  these  papers  were  there,  and 
already  written  to  his  hands.  For  the  more  recent  forms  of  oaths,  sea 
Bernard's  work. 

ENTERED  APPRENTICE'S  OBLIGATION, 

I,  A.  B.,  do-,  of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  iif  this  right  worshipful  Lodge,  erected  to  God,  and  dedicated  to 
holy  St.  John,  hereby  and  hereon  most  solemnly  and-sincerely  promise 
and  swear. 

That  I  will  always  hail,  forever  conceal,  and  never  reveal,  any  of  tho 
secret  or  secrets  of  Masons  or  Masonry,  which  at  this  time,  or  at  any 
time  hereafter,  shall  be  communicated  to  me  as  such,  except  it  be  to  a 
true  and  lawful  brother,  or  within  the  body  of  a  just  and  regular  Lodge, 
him  or  them  whom  I  shall  thus  find  to  be,  after  strict  trial  and  due  ex- 
amination, 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  not  write  them,  print 
them,  stamp  them,  stain  them,  cut  them,  carve  them,  mark  them, 
work  or  engrave  them,  nor  cause  them  so  to  be  done,  upon  anything 
movable  or  immovable  under  the  canopy  of  heaven,  capable  of  bearing 
the  least  visible  sign,  mark,  character,  or  letter,  whereby  the  mysteries 
of  Masonry  may  be  illegally  obtained. 

All  this  I  solemnly  and  sincerely  swear,  with  a  full  and  hearty  reso- 
lution to  perform  the  same,  without  any  .evasion,  equivocation,  or 
mental  reservation,  under  no  less  penalty  than  to  have  ray  throat  cut 
acn  ss  from  ear  to  ear,  my  tongue  plucked  out  by  the  roots,  and  buried 
in  the  rough  sands  of  the  sea,  a  cable's  length  irom  shore,  where  the 
tide  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in  twenty-four  hours.  So  help  me  God.  and 
keep  me  steadfast  in  this  my  obligation  of  an  Entered  Apprentice.  K. 
ance— (kiss  the  Bible  once). 

fellowckaft's  obligation, 

I,  A.  B.,  do,  of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  in  the  presence  of  God. 
and  this  right  worshipful  Lod^e,  erected  to  God,  and  dedicated  to  holy 
St.  John,  hereby  and  hereon  most  solemnly  and  sincerely  promise  and 
»wear  that  I  will  always  hail,  forever  conceal,  and  never  reveal,  any  of 
the  secret  part  or  parts,  mystery  or  mysteries,  of  a  Fellowcraft  to  an 
Entered  Apprentice:  nor  the  part  of  an  Entered  Apprentice,  or  either 
of  them,  to  any  other  person  in  the  world,  except'it  be  to  those  to  whom 
the  same  shall  justly  and  legally  belong. 

327 


328  APPENDIX. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  relieve  all  poor  and  indi- 
gent brethren,  as  far  .as  their  necessities  require,  and  my  ability  will 
permit. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  obey  all  true  signs, 
tokens,  and  summonses,  sent  me  by  the  hand  of  a  Felloworaft.  or  from 
the  door  of  a  just  and  regular  Felloworaft  s  Lodge,  if  within  the  length 
of  my  cable-tow. 

_  AH  this  I  solemnly  and  sincerely  swear,  with  a  full  and  hearty  resolu- 
tion to  perform  the  same,  without  any  evasion,  equivocation,  or  mental 
reservation,  under  no  less  penalty  than  to  have  my  heart  taken  from 
under  my  naked  left  breast,  and  carried  to  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat, 
there  to  bo  thrown  into  the  fields  to  become  a  prey  to  the  wolves  of  the 
desert,  and  the  vultures  of  the  air.  So  help  me  God,  >fcc.  Kiss  (the 
Bible)  twice. 

MASTER  mason's  OBLIGATION. 

I.  A.  B.,  do,  of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  of  this  right  worshipful  Lodge,  erected  to  (iod,  and  dedicated  to  holy 
St.  John,  hereby  and  hereon  most  solemnly  and  sincerely  promise  and 
swear,  that  I  will  always  hail,  forever  conceal,  and  never  reveal,  the 
secret  part  or  parts,  mystery  or  mysteries,  of  a  Master  Mason  to  a  Fel- 
loworaft, or  those  of  a  Fellowcraft  to  an  Entered  Apprentice,  or  thoni 
or  either  of  them  to  any  other  person  in  the  world,  except  it  be  to  those 
to  whom  the  same  shall  justly  and  legally  belong. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  not  be  present  at  the 
maki]ig  of  a  Mason  of  a  woman,  of  a  niadtnan,  or  of  n  fool;  that  I  will 
:.ot  defraud  a  brother  knowingly  or*  willingly;  that  1  will  not  give  the 
Master's  words  above  breath,  nor  then  except  within  the  five  points  of 
fellowship;— that  I  will  not  violate  the  chastity  of  a  Mason's  wife  or 
daughter,  knowing  them  to  be  such. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  attend  a  brother  bare- 
foot, if  necessity  requires,  to  warn  him  of  approaching  danger;  that  on 
my  knees  I  will  remember  him  in  my  prayers;  that  I  will  take  him  by 
the  right  hand  and  support  him  with  the  left  in  all  his  just  and  lawful 
undertakings;  that  I  will  keep  his  secrets  as  safely  deposited  in  my 
breast  as  they  are  in  his  own,  treason  and  murder  only  excepted,  and 
those  at  my  option;  that  I  will  obey  all  true  signs,  tokens,  and  sum- 
monses, sent  me  by  the  hand  of  a  Master  Mason,  or  from  the  door  of  a 
just  and  regular  Master  Mason's  Lodge,  if  within  the  length  of  my 
cable-tow. 

All  this  I  most  solemnly  and  sincerely  promise  and  swear  with  a  full 
and  hearly  resolution  to  perform  the  same,  without  any  evasion,  equiv- 
ocation, or  mental  reservation,  under  no  less  penalty  than  to  have  my 
body  cut  across,  my  bowels  taken  out  and  burnt  to  ashes,  and  those 
ashes  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven;  to  have  my  body  dissected 
into  four  equal  parts,  and  those  parts  hung  on  'he  cardinal  points  of  the 
compass,  tnere  to  hang  and  remain  as  a  terror  to  all  those  who  shall 
presume  to  violate  the  sacred  obligation  of  a  Master  Mason.  Kiss  (the 
Bible)  thrice. 

These  three  penalties,  the  Master  of  the  Lodge,  immediately  after 
administering  this  oath  to  the  recipient  Master  Mason,  declares  to  him, 
were  executed  upon  th«  three  Tyrian  fellowcrafts,  at  the  building  of 
Solomon's  temple,  and  have  ever  nince  remained  the  standing  penalties  in 
the  first  three  degrees  of  Masonry. 

The  following  form  of  the  Royal  Arch  Oath,  and  that  of  the  Knights 
Templar,  are  taken  from  the  Boston  edition  of  Avery  Allyn's  Kitual  of 
Freemasonry,  printed  in  1831,  pp.  143,  236. 


APPENDIX.  329 

EOYAL  ARCH  OATH, 

T,  A.  B.,  of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  in  presence  of  Almighty 
God,  and  this  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons,  erected  to  God  and  dedi- 
cated toZerubbabel,  do  hereby  and  hereon,  mostsolemnly  and  sincerely 
promise  and  swear,  in  addition  to  my  former  obligations,  that  1  will 
not  reveal  the  secrets  of  this  degree  to  any  of  an  inferior  degree,  nor  to 
any  being  in  the  known  world,  except  it  be  to  a  true  and  lawful  com- 
panion Koyal  Arch  Mason,  or  within  the  body  of  a  just  and  legally  con- 
stituted Chapter  of  such;  and  aev  r  unto  him,  or  them,  whom  1  shall 
hear  so  to  be,  but  unto  him  and  them  only  whom  I  shall  find  so  to  be, 
after  s.trict  trial  and  due  examination,  or  lawful  information  given. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  wrong  this  Chapter 
of  Royal  Arch  Masons,  or  a  companion  of  this  degree,  out  of  the  value 
of  anything,  myself,  or  suffer  it  to  bo  done  by  others,  if  in  my  power  to 
prevent  it. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  not  reveal  the  key  to  the 
ineffable  characters  of  this  degree,  nor  retain  it  in  my  possession,  but 
will  destroy  it  whenever  it  comes  to  my  sight. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  speak  the  grand 
omnitic  Royal  Arch  word,  which  I  shall  hereafter  receive,  in  any  man- 
ner, except  in  that  in  which  I  shall  receive  it,  which  will  be  in  tne 
presence  of  three  companion  Royal  Arch  Masons,  myself  making  one  of 
the  number;  and  then  by  three  times  three,  under  a  living  arch,  and  at 
low  breath.  • 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  not  be  at  ta©  exaltation 
of  candidates  in  a  clandestine  Chapter,  nor  conver«e  upon  the  secrets 
of  this  degree  with  a  clandestine  made  Mason,  or  with  one  who  has 
been  expelled  or  suspended,  while  under  that  sentence. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  assist,  or  be  present 
at  the  exaltation  of  a  candidate  to  this  degree,  who  has  not  received 
the  degrees  of  Entered  Apprentice,  Fellowcraft,  Master  Mason,  Mark 
Master,  Past  Master,  and  Most  Excellent  Master. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  be  at  the  exaltation 
of  more  or  less  than  three  candidates,  at  one  and  the  same  time. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  be  at  the  forming  or 
opening  of  a  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons,  unless  there  be  present 
nine  regular  Royal  Arch  Masons,  myself  m^iking  one  of  that  number. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  speak  evil  of  .a 
companion  Royal  Arch  Mason,  behind  his  back,  nor  before  his  face, 
but  will  apprise  him  of  all  approaching  danger,  if  in  my  power, 

X  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  support  the  constitution 
of  the  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  the  United  States  of  America;  to- 
gether with  that  of  the  General  Grand  Chapter  of  this  State,  under 
which  this  Chapter  is  holden;  that  I  will  stand  to,  and  abide  by  all 
the  by  laws,  rules,  and  regulations  of  this  Chapter,  or  of  any  other 
Chapter  of  which  I  may  hereafter  become  a  member. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  answer  and  obey  all  due 
signs  and  summons,  handed,  sent,  or  thrown  to  me  from  a  Chapter  of 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  or  from  a  companion  Royal  Arch  Mason,  if  within 
the  length  of  my  cable-tow. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  thaw  I  will  not  strike  a  companion 
iloyal  Arch  Mason,  so  as  to  draw  his  blood  in  anger. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  1  will  employ  a  companion 
Royal  Arch  Mason,  in  preference  to  any  other  pccsort  of  etjual  qualifica- 
tions. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  assist  a  companion 
Royal  Arch  Mason,  when  I  see  him  engaged  in  any  difficulty,  and  will 
esvoitse  his  cause  so  far  aa  to  extricate  him  from  the  same  whether  he  be 
RIGHT  or   WRONG. 

I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  keep  all  the  secrets  of  a 
companion  Royal  Arch  Mason  (when  communicated  to  me  as  such,  or  I 
knowing  them  to  be  such,)  withozU  exayitions. 


330 


APPENDIX. 


I  furthermore  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  bo  aiding  and  assisting 
&ll  poor  a,nd  indiffent  companion  Royal  Arch  Masons,  their  widows  and 
orphans,  leheresoever  dispersed  around  the  globe;  they  making  application 
to  me  as  such,  and  I  finding  them  tcorfftj/,  and  can  do  it  without  anj/ 
♦na«ert«nnjury  to  myself  or  family.  To  all  which  I  do  most  solemnly 
and  sincerely  promise  and  swear,  with  a  firm  and  steadfast  resolution 
to  keep  and  perform  the  same  without  any  equivocation,  mental  reser- 
vation, or  self-evasion  of  mind  in  me  whatever;  binding  myself  under 
no  less  penalty,  than  to  have  my  KkuU  amote  off,  and  my  brains  exj^osed  to 
the  scorching  rays  of  the  meridian  sun,  should  I  knowingly  or  willfully 
violate,  or  transgress  anv  part  of  this  my  solemn  oath  or  obligation  of  a 
Royal  Arch  Mason.  So  help  me  God,  and  keep  me  steadfast  in  the  due 
performance  of  the  same.    (Kissing  the  book  seven  times.) 

KNIGHT  templar's  OATH. 

I,  A.  B.,  of  my  own  free  will  and  accord,  in  the  presence  of  Almighty 
God,  and  this  Encampment  of  Knights  Templars,  do  hereby  and  hereon 
most  solemnly  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  always  hail,  forever  con- 
ceal, and  never  reveal,  any  of  the  secret  arts,  parts  or  points  apper- 
taining to  the  mysteries  of  this  Order  of  Knights  Templars,  unless  it  be  to 
a  true  and  lawful  companion  Sir  Knight,  or  within  the  body  of  a  just 
and  lawful  Encampment  of  such;  and  not  unto  him,  or  them,  until  by 
due  trial,  strict  examination,  or  lawful  information,  I  find  him  or  them 
lawfully  entitled  to  receive  the  same. 

Furthermore  do  I  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  answer  and  obey  all 
due  signs  and  regular  summons  which  shall  be  given  or  sent  to  me  from 
a  regular  encampment  of  Knights  Templars,  if  within  the  distance  of 
forty  miles,  natural  infirmities  and|  unavoidable  accidents  only  ex- 
cusing me. 

Furthermore  do  I  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  help,  aid,  and  assist 
with  my  counsel,  my  purse,  and  my  sword,  all  poor  and  indigent 
Knights  Templars,  their  widows  and  orphans,  they  making  application 
to  me  as  such,  and  I  finding  them  worthy,  so  far  as  I  can  do  it  without 
material  injury  to  myself,  and  so  far  as  truth,  honor,  and  justice  may 
warrant. 

Furthermore  do  I  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  not  assist,  or  be  pre- 
sent, at  the  forming  and  opening  of  an  Encampment  of  Knights  Tem- 
plars, unless  there  be  present  seven  Knights  of  the  Order,  or  the 
representatives  of  three  different  Encampments,  acting  under  the 
sanction  of  a  legal  warrant. 

Furthermore  do  I  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  go  to  the  distance  of 
forty  miles,  even  barefoot  and  on  frosty  ground,  to  save  the  life,  and 
relieve  the  necessities  of  a  worthy  Knight,  should  I  know  that  his  ne- 
cessities require  it,  and  my  abilities  permit. 

Furthermare  do  I  promise  and  swear,  that  Twill  toield  my  aicord  in  the 
defense  of  innocent  maidens,  destitute  loidoics,  helpless  orphans,  and  the 
christian  religion. 

Furthermore  do  I  promise  and  swear,  that  I  will  support  and  main- 
tain the  by-laws  of  the  Encampment  of  which  I  may  hereafter  become 
a  member,  the  edicts  and  regulations  of  the  Grand  Encampment  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  so  far  as  the  same  shall  eome  to  my  knowl- 
edge; to  all  this  I  most  solemnly  and  sincerely  promise  and  swear,  with 
a  firm  and  steady  resolution  to  perform  and  keep  the  same,  without 
any  hesitation,  equivocation,  mental  reservation,  or  self-evasion  of 
mind  in  me  whatever;  binding  myself  under  no  less  penalty  than  to 
have  my  head  struck  oflF  and  placed  on  the  highest  spire  in  Christen- 
dom, should  I  knowingljf  or  willingly  violate  any  part  of  this  my 
solemn  obligation  of  a  Knight  Templar.  So  help  me  God,  and  keep 
me  steadfast  to  perform  and  keep  the  same,    (He  kisses  the  book.) 


APPENDIX.  3S1 


FnTH  LrBATION 

This  part  of  the  ceremony  attending  the  creation  of  the  Knight  Tem- 
plar, ia  deemed  interesting  in  connection  w\th  the  obligation. 

Address  of  the  Master. 

Pilgrim,  the  fifth  libation  is  taken  In  a  very  solemn  way.  It  is  em- 
blematical of  the  bitter  cup  of  death,  of  which  we  must  all,  sooner  or 
later,  taste;  and  even  the  Savior  of  the  world  was  not  exempted,  not- 
withstanding his  repeated  prayers  and  solicitations.  It  is  taken  of  pure 
wine,  and  from  this  cup.  Exhibiting  a  human  skull,  he  pours  wine 
into  it,  and  says  :  To  show  you  that  we  here  practice  no  imposition,  I 
give  you  this  pledge.  (Drinks  from  the  skull.)  He  then  pours  more 
wine  into  the  skull,  and  presents  it  to  the  candidate,  telling  him  that 
the  fifth  libation  is  called  the  sealed  obligation,  as  it  is  to  seal  all  his 
former  engagements  in  Masonry, 

If  the  candidate  consents  to  proceed,  he  takes  the  skull  in  his  hand, 
-and  repeats  after  the  Most  Eminent,  as  follows : 

This  pure  wine  I  take  from  this  cup,  in  testimony  of  my  belief  of  the 
mortality  of  the  body,  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul;  and  as  the  sins 
of  the  whole  world  were  laid  upon  the  head  of  our  Savior,  so  may  the 
sins  of  the  person  whose  skull  this  once  was,  be  heaped  upon  my  head, 
in  addition  to'my  own;  and  may  they  appear  in  judgment  against  me, 
both  here  and  hereafter,  should  I  viplate  or  trani^gress  any  obligation 
in  Masonry,  or  the  Orders  of  Knighthood  which  I  have  heretofore  taken, 
take  at  this  time,  or  may  hereafter  be  instructed  in.  So  help  me  God. 
(Drinks  of  the  wine.) 

The  following  extracts  are  referred  to  in  Mr.  Adams's  fourth  letter  to 
Mr.  Livingston,  page  202. 

Extracts  from  the  Report  made  to  the  General  Asuembly  of  the  State  of  Louis- 
iana on  the  Plan  of  a  Penal  Code  for  the  said  State.  By  Edward  Livings- 
ton, 

"Legislators,  in  all  ages  and  in  every  country,  have  at  times 
endangered  the  lives,  the  liberties,  and  fortunes  of  the  people  by  in- 
consistent provisions,  cruel  or  dispropobtionatk  punishments,  and  a 
legislation  weak  and  wavering." 

"  Executions  (in  England)  for  gome  crimes  were  attended  with  butch- 
ery THAT  WOULD  DISGUST  A  SAVAGE." 

"Acknowledged  truths  in  politics  and  jurisprudence  can  never  be  too 
often  repeated." 

"  Publicity  is  an  object  of  such  importance  in  free  government",  that 
it  not  only  ought  to  be  permitted,  but  must  be  secured  by  a  species  of 
compulsion." 

"  If  he  (the  culprit)  be  guilty,  the  state  has  an  interest  in  his  convic- 
tion; and  whether  guilty  or  innocent,  it  has  a  higher  interest  that  the 
fact  should  be  fairly  canvassed  before  judges  inaccessible  to  influ- 
ence AND  UNBIASED  BY   ANY  FALSE   VIEWS  OF  OFFICIAL   DUTY. 

**  It  is  not  true,  therefore,  to  say  that  the  laws  do  enough,  when  they 
give  the  choice  (even  suppose  it  could  be  made  with  deliberation)  be- 
tween a  fair  and  impartial  trial  and  one  that  is  liable  to  the  strongest 
objections.  They  must  do  more;  they  must  restrict  that  choice,  so  as 
not  to  suffer  an  ill-advised  individual  to  dear  .de  them  into  instru- 
ments of  ruin,  though  it  should  be  voluntarily  inflicted,  or  of  death, 
though  that  death  should  be  suicide." 

"The  English  mangle  the  remains  of  the  dead  (by  suicide).  The  in- 
animate ■  body  feels  neither  the  ignopiv  nor  pains.  The  mind  of  the 
innocent  survivor  alone  is  lacerated  by  this  useless  and  savage 
butchery,  and  the  disgrace  of  the  execution  is  felt  exclusively  by  him, 
although  it  ought  to  fall  on  the  laws  which  inflict  it." 


332  APPENDIX. 

**  The  law  punishes,  not  to  avenge,  but  to  prevent  crimes.  No  pun- 
ishments, greater  than  are  necessary  to  effect  this  work  of  prevention, 
let  us  remember,  ought  to  Ije  inflicted." 

''Although  the  dislocation  of  joints  is  no  longer  considered  as  the 
best  mode  of  ascertaining  innocence  or  discovering  guilt;  although 
offenses  against  the  Deity  are  no  longer  expiated  by  the  burning  fagot: 
or  those  against  the  majesty  of  kings,  avenged  by  the  hot  pincers  and 
the  rack  and  the  wheel;  still  many  other  modes  of  punishment  have 
their  advocates,  which,  if  not  equally  cruel,  are  quite  as  inconsistent 
with  the  true  maxims  of  penal  law." 

"As  to  tho  authority  of  great  names,  it  loses  much  of  its  force;  since 
the  mass  of  the  people  have  begun  to  think  for  themselves." 

"Whore  laws  are  so  directly  at  war  with  the  feelings  of  tho  people 
whom  they  govern,  as  this,  and  many  other  instances  prove  them  to  be, 
these  laws  can  never  be  wise  or    operative,  and  they  ought  to  bk 

ABOLISHED."       i 

Extracts  from  detached  parts  of  the  projected  Code. 

"  No  act  of  legislation  can  be,  or  ought  to  be,  immutable. 

"  Vengeance  is  unknown  to  the  laws.  The  only  object  of  punishment 
is  to  prevent  the  commission  of  offenses." 

"Penal  laws  should  be  written  in  plain  language,  clearly  and  un- 
equivocally expressed,  that  they  inay  neither  be  misunderstood  nor 
perverted." 

"  The  law  never  should  command  more  than  it  can  enforce.  There- 
fore, whenever,  from  public  opinion  or  any  other  cause,  a  penal  law 
can  not  be  carried  into  execution,  it  should  be  repealed. 

"The  legislature  alone  has  a  right  to  declare  what  shall  constitute 
an  offense." 


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